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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 116 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. scale — in music
  3. net — after costs
  4. cap — of ice
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. cap — a hat
  8. season — in sport
  9. land — a country
  10. cap — a lid
  11. land — ground
  12. net — for catching
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. land — to come down
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — of the year
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rock — music
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — of a plant
  24. scale — size or range

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