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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. craft — boats
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. cold — not warm
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. chip — to eat
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. cold — an illness
  16. saw — the tool
  17. press — a publisher
  18. root — the cause
  19. press — to push
  20. chip — for betting
  21. press — newspapers
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. root — of a word

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