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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. season — of the year
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. root — of a word
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. last — final
  11. season — in sport
  12. last — to go on
  13. root — the cause
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. march — the month
  16. pass — a permit
  17. march — the month
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. last — finally
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. march — music
  23. root — of a plant
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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