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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. cell — in biology
  3. root — the cause
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. season — in sport
  7. cell — a phone
  8. root — of a word
  9. march — music
  10. suit — to fit
  11. suit — clothes
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. rush — hurry
  15. roll — a list
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. season — of the year
  19. roll — a cake
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. root — of a plant
  23. suit — in cards
  24. mouse — for a computer

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