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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. root — the cause
  3. root — of a plant
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pitch — completely
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. root — of a word
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — in sport
  18. last — to go on
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. last — final
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. chair — a leader

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