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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  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. saw — the tool
  3. present — a gift
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. present — the time now
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. root — the cause
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. root — of a plant
  13. present — there
  14. root — of a word
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cold — not warm
  17. squash — the sport
  18. perch — the fish
  19. season — in sport
  20. squash — to crush
  21. season — of the year
  22. cold — an illness
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. squash — the vegetable

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