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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. spell — letters
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. roll — a cake
  6. root — the cause
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. root — of a word
  9. lean — to bend
  10. march — the month
  11. lean — thin
  12. rash — a series
  13. root — of a plant
  14. march — the month
  15. season — of the year
  16. rash — hasty
  17. spell — a short time
  18. march — music
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. roll — a list
  21. spell — magic
  22. season — in sport
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. roll — on a roll

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