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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 116 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. root — of a word
  4. capital — money
  5. mate — to breed
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. tear — to rip
  9. root — the cause
  10. season — of the year
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mate — a partner
  13. tear — from crying
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bulb — for light
  17. root — of a plant
  18. season — in sport
  19. tear — from crying
  20. fine — all right
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. capital — a city
  24. fine — high quality

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