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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 120 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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — in sport
  5. march — the month
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. root — of a plant
  10. rock — a stone
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — music
  17. root — the cause
  18. season — of the year
  19. clip — for paper
  20. root — of a word
  21. march — music
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — to cut
  24. ball — a great time

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