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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. wind — moving air
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. net — after costs
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — of the year
  11. root — of a word
  12. ground — crushed
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. ground — the earth
  15. root — the cause
  16. firm — decided
  17. ground — a position
  18. firm — steady
  19. net — for catching
  20. wind — moving air
  21. firm — a company
  22. net — in sport
  23. root — of a plant
  24. wind — to turn a key

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