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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  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 part of the sea
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. root — the cause
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. game — a match
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pass — a permit
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. mark — a trace
  16. game — wild animals
  17. mark — a grade
  18. root — of a plant
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  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