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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. net — after costs
  4. pit — in a race
  5. drill — army training
  6. net — for catching
  7. drill — the tool
  8. root — of a word
  9. season — in sport
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. root — the cause
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — a grade
  16. pit — a hole
  17. branch — a division
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. ball — a dance
  20. root — of a plant
  21. drill — a practice
  22. ball — a great time
  23. net — in sport
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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