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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bat — the animal
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — the cause
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. kick — in football
  9. season — in sport
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. season — of the year
  14. toast — bread
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. bark — to shout
  18. rule — a law
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. rule — government
  24. lie — to recline

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