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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 120 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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. file — a document
  3. pop — soda
  4. pop — music
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. root — the cause
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pop — to visit
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wound — an injury
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. file — a line of people
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — in sport
  19. file — a tool
  20. root — of a plant
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. root — of a word

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