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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. season — of the year
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. track — to keep track
  6. season — in sport
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. board — a committee
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. staff — employees
  11. root — the cause
  12. track — a path
  13. root — of a plant
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. staff — employees
  16. track — a song
  17. board — to get on
  18. staff — a stick

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