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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  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. season — to add flavour
  3. fall — to drop
  4. hand — in cards
  5. craft — boats
  6. rock — a stone
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. season — of the year
  9. root — of a plant
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. rock — music
  13. fall — the season
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. fall — to drop
  16. root — of a word
  17. hand — help
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. craft — a skill
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. mine — for digging
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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