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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. root — of a plant
  4. season — of the year
  5. suit — clothes
  6. snap — to click
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. root — the cause
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. mark — a trace
  13. root — of a word
  14. suit — to fit
  15. land — ground
  16. land — to come down
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. suit — in cards
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. season — in sport
  24. mark — a grade

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