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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. march — the month
  3. snap — to click
  4. object — an aim
  5. object — a thing
  6. root — of a plant
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. march — music
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. object — to protest
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rock — a stone
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. root — of a word
  21. march — the month
  22. root — the cause
  23. date — the fruit
  24. bay — a horse colour

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