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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  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 — to add flavour
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. degree — an amount
  4. rash — a series
  5. content — the amount
  6. degree — from a university
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. root — the cause
  12. game — a match
  13. season — of the year
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. game — wild animals
  16. root — of a plant
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bulb — for light
  19. degree — temperature
  20. season — in sport
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bulb — for light
  23. content — happy
  24. root — of a word

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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