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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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. pitcher — in baseball
  4. prune — to trim
  5. kick — in football
  6. root — the cause
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — a series
  9. cap — a hat
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. cap — of ice
  12. root — of a plant
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. content — the amount
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. prune — to trim
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — happy
  20. root — of a word
  21. season — of the year
  22. rash — hasty
  23. season — in sport
  24. pitcher — a jug

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