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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. season — in sport
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — a container
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. net — after costs
  8. pop — soda
  9. ground — the earth
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. root — of a word
  12. pop — music
  13. ground — crushed
  14. net — in sport
  15. pop — to visit
  16. root — the cause
  17. season — of the year
  18. net — for catching
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. tube — the underground
  22. root — of a plant
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. fan — a supporter

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