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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  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 — of the year
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. bulb — for light
  5. mate — a partner
  6. row — a line
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. root — of a word
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. root — of a plant
  13. rush — hurry
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. row — to paddle
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. mate — to breed
  21. chair — a leader
  22. mate — a friend
  23. rash — a series
  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