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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. content — happy
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — the cause
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. root — of a plant
  10. pit — a hole
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. season — in sport
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. season — of the year
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. pit — in a race
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. safe — out of danger

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