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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. pit — in a race
  3. rush — hurry
  4. cue — a signal
  5. squash — the sport
  6. root — of a plant
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. cue — for pool
  10. hand — in cards
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. root — the cause
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pit — a hole
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. cue — a hint
  21. squash — to crush
  22. hand — help
  23. root — of a word
  24. squash — the vegetable

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