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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. root — the cause
  4. root — of a plant
  5. season — in sport
  6. stand — to bear
  7. bear — the animal
  8. net — for catching
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — size or range
  11. clip — a video
  12. bear — the animal
  13. season — of the year
  14. net — in sport
  15. root — of a word
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. scale — in music
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. clip — to cut
  20. race — humankind
  21. clip — for paper
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — a contest
  24. stand — on your feet

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