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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. root — the cause
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. lean — thin
  10. ball — a great time
  11. stand — to bear
  12. tear — to rip
  13. season — in sport
  14. lean — to bend
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. season — of the year
  17. tear — from crying
  18. ball — a dance
  19. root — of a plant
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. tear — from crying
  24. mine — for digging

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