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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pit · sharp · season · mark · bore · straw · root · key

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. sharp — clever
  4. pit — a hole
  5. bore — to tire
  6. key — for a lock
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. root — of a plant
  9. mark — a grade
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. key — the most important part
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. season — in sport
  16. bore — to drill
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. key — in music
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. root — of a word
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. root — the cause
  24. mark — a trace

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