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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. root — of a plant
  4. root — of a word
  5. root — the cause
  6. snap — to click
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — in sport
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. chair — a leader
  12. ground — the earth
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — child
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. ground — crushed
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. ground — a position
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. calf — a young animal

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