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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: root · bound · wind · sharp · content · chair · rash · season

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — happy
  4. bound — certain
  5. rash — hasty
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. root — of a word
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bound — obliged
  10. root — of a plant
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. sharp — clever
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bound — tied together
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. wind — moving air
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. season — of the year
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. root — the cause
  23. wind — moving air
  24. season — in sport

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