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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bulb — for light
  3. root — of a word
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. band — a ring
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. drill — army training
  11. court — of law
  12. court — for sport
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. drill — a practice
  15. season — of the year
  16. band — a music group
  17. season — in sport
  18. drill — the tool
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. root — the cause
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. root — of a plant
  23. court — of a king
  24. season — to add flavour

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