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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 120 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. season — of the year
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bass — the fish
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. rest — a break
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. rest — what's left
  11. squash — to crush
  12. wind — moving air
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — of a word
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. sharp — clever
  17. rest — what's left
  18. season — in sport
  19. root — the cause
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. squash — the sport
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — low music

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