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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. cap — a lid
  3. root — of a plant
  4. bound — tied together
  5. root — the cause
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. cap — of ice
  8. kick — in football
  9. drill — army training
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. root — of a word
  13. season — of the year
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bass — the fish
  16. drill — the tool
  17. cap — a hat
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. bass — low music
  20. season — in sport
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — certain
  24. mine — an explosive

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