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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a friend
  3. roll — a cake
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. wind — moving air
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. root — the cause
  9. roll — a list
  10. root — of a word
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. root — of a plant
  16. wind — moving air
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. deal — to handle
  19. mate — a partner
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. roll — on a roll

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