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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 116 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. root — of a word
  3. vault — a safe
  4. kid — to tease
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. track — to keep track
  7. root — of a plant
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. kid — child
  13. track — a path
  14. root — the cause
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. track — a song
  17. season — in sport
  18. hide — animal skin

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