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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. drill — the tool
  3. press — a publisher
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. season — of the year
  7. drill — a practice
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pit — in a race
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. season — in sport
  12. press — to push
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. drill — army training
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. root — the cause
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. pit — a hole
  22. mine — for digging
  23. press — newspapers
  24. root — of a word

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