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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. season — of the year
  3. fork — in a road
  4. root — the cause
  5. pass — a permit
  6. cue — a signal
  7. swing — music
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. shower — rain
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. shower — to wash
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. season — in sport
  18. swing — to play on
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. swing — in golf
  21. cue — for pool
  22. root — of a plant
  23. arm — a part of something
  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