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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. net — in sport
  4. root — of a plant
  5. net — after costs
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. ball — a great time
  9. root — of a word
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. root — the cause
  12. net — for catching
  13. ball — a dance
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — of the year
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. pop — soda
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. firm — steady
  22. pop — to visit
  23. firm — decided
  24. pop — music

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