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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. game — a match
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. wind — moving air
  6. season — in sport
  7. root — of a word
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. root — of a plant
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. root — the cause
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. game — wild animals
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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