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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 has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. season — of the year
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — the animal
  5. clip — a video
  6. spell — a short time
  7. mate — a partner
  8. clip — to cut
  9. season — in sport
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — letters
  12. clip — for paper
  13. mate — to breed
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — of a plant
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. mate — a friend
  23. root — the cause
  24. bulb — for light

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