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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. wound — an injury
  5. root — of a word
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. last — final
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. pit — a hole
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. root — of a plant
  14. last — to go on
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. pit — in a race
  18. kick — in football
  19. last — finally
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. wound — an injury
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. root — the cause

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