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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.

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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 · pass · root · bulb · sharp · season · last · snap

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. season — in sport
  3. sharp — clever
  4. root — of a plant
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. last — final
  9. snap — to click
  10. root — of a word
  11. season — of the year
  12. last — to go on
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. root — the cause
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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