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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. root — the cause
  7. pit — in a race
  8. root — of a plant
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. pit — a hole
  11. root — of a word
  12. bore — to tire
  13. rest — a break
  14. mark — a grade
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mark — a trace
  19. rash — hasty
  20. season — of the year
  21. rash — a series
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bore — to drill
  24. season — in sport

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