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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.

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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: net · sharp · tear · ground · bay · hide · cue · root

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. net — after costs
  3. cue — a hint
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. net — in sport
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — a position
  8. tear — to rip
  9. root — of a word
  10. tear — from crying
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. root — the cause
  15. ground — the earth
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. cue — for pool
  18. sharp — clever
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. root — of a plant
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. tear — from crying
  23. net — for catching
  24. cue — a signal

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