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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. root — the cause
  3. root — of a word
  4. season — of the year
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. mark — a trace
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. rush — hurry
  11. board — to get on
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — in a road
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. board — a committee
  18. spring — a coil
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. root — of a plant
  22. spring — of water
  23. mark — a grade
  24. spring — the season

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