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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. kid — to tease
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. mate — a friend
  7. root — the cause
  8. pass — a permit
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. mate — a partner
  11. stem — to come from
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mate — to breed
  20. root — of a plant
  21. sharp — clever
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. kid — child

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