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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. root — of a plant
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — in biology
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. fall — to drop
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. cell — a phone
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. root — the cause
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. season — of the year
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. fall — to drop
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. fall — the season
  24. root — of a word

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