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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
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: safe · root · clip · mug · season · rest · rash · march

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — a face
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. march — music
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. rest — what's left
  8. clip — a video
  9. mug — to rob
  10. clip — for paper
  11. march — the month
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. root — of a word
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. rest — what's left
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. rash — a series
  18. season — of the year
  19. root — the cause
  20. march — the month
  21. rest — a break
  22. root — of a plant
  23. clip — to cut
  24. rash — hasty

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