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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — magic
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. root — of a plant
  6. root — the cause
  7. spell — a short time
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. mark — a trace
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. chip — to eat
  13. root — of a word
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. mark — a grade
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. pitch — completely
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. wax — to grow
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. season — of the year
  24. chip — for betting

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