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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. roll — a cake
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fine — high quality
  7. root — the cause
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — of the year
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — of a plant
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — to tease
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. season — in sport
  20. chair — a leader
  21. fine — all right
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. roll — a list

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