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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. sharp — clever
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. root — of a plant
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. wind — moving air
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. wind — moving air
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. kid — child
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. rash — a series
  17. root — the cause
  18. root — of a word
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. kid — to tease
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. sharp — with an edge

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