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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.

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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. season — in sport
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. swing — in golf
  8. present — there
  9. root — the cause
  10. swing — music
  11. root — of a word
  12. present — a gift
  13. root — of a plant
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — to tease
  16. date — the fruit
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. present — the time now
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. swing — to play on
  22. season — of the year
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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