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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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. root — of a word
  4. season — in sport
  5. cell — in biology
  6. rush — hurry
  7. last — to go on
  8. season — of the year
  9. mate — a friend
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. mate — a partner
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. last — finally
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. root — the cause
  19. stand — to bear
  20. cell — a phone
  21. mate — to breed
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. last — final

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