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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. capital — money
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bore — to tire
  6. kid — child
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. root — the cause
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. root — of a word
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. capital — a city
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bore — to drill
  24. kid — to tease

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