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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. season — of the year
  5. root — of a word
  6. scale — in music
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bank — for money
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. file — a line of people
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. file — a document
  16. root — the cause
  17. deal — to handle
  18. root — of a plant
  19. court — for sport
  20. bank — for money
  21. court — of law
  22. scale — size or range
  23. court — of a king
  24. file — a tool

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