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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. season — of the year
  3. pit — a hole
  4. root — the cause
  5. pit — in a race
  6. row — to paddle
  7. root — of a plant
  8. rest — a break
  9. season — in sport
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. rest — what's left
  12. root — of a word
  13. row — a line
  14. land — a country
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wake — a trail
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — ground
  24. row — a quarrel

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