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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. season — of the year
  3. kid — child
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. root — of a plant
  6. mark — a trace
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. season — in sport
  11. mark — a grade
  12. kid — to tease
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. root — the cause
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. cell — in biology
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. pass — a permit
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. cell — a phone
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. root — of a word

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