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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.

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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. mate — to breed
  3. root — the cause
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. rush — hurry
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. sharp — clever
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fork — in a road
  13. mate — a friend
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. dip — to sink
  18. mate — a partner
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — of a plant
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. kick — in football
  24. leaves — of a tree

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