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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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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. face — part of the head
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. season — of the year
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. root — of a word
  13. net — after costs
  14. face — to confront
  15. ball — a great time
  16. root — the cause
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. ball — a dance
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — in sport
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — for catching

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