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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. tear — to rip
  3. root — the cause
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. game — a match
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. season — of the year
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. root — of a word
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. deal — to handle
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. root — of a plant
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. game — wild animals
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. tear — from crying
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com