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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. season — of the year
  3. root — of a plant
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. chest — a box
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. roll — a cake
  10. season — in sport
  11. pass — a permit
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. root — the cause
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. root — of a word
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. chest — of your body
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. racket — for tennis

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