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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. last — finally
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. season — of the year
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. season — in sport
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. last — to go on
  14. root — of a plant
  15. stand — to bear
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. root — the cause
  19. bass — the fish
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. root — of a word
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. last — final

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