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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

Word bank: rush · season · root · present · pitcher · cue · bay · saw

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. cue — a hint
  4. rush — hurry
  5. present — there
  6. saw — the tool
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. cue — a signal
  10. present — a gift
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. season — of the year
  13. root — of a word
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. present — the time now
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. root — of a plant
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. root — the cause
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cue — for pool
  24. saw — the tool

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