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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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Word bank
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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. root — the cause
  4. present — there
  5. net — after costs
  6. root — of a word
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. present — a gift
  9. hand — in cards
  10. fine — high quality
  11. hand — help
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fine — all right
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. season — of the year
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. net — for catching
  20. season — in sport
  21. net — in sport
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. root — of a plant
  24. present — the time now

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