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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pit — a hole
  3. staff — employees
  4. mate — a partner
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. craft — boats
  7. root — of a word
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. season — in sport
  10. pit — in a race
  11. root — of a plant
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wind — moving air
  17. root — the cause
  18. mate — a friend
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. craft — a skill
  21. staff — employees
  22. mate — to breed
  23. season — of the year
  24. staff — a stick

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