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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. rest — what's left
  3. net — in sport
  4. season — in sport
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. rest — a break
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mug — a face
  9. deal — to handle
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. net — for catching
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a word
  14. net — after costs
  15. pit — in a race
  16. rest — what's left
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. mug — a cup
  20. pit — a hole
  21. game — wild animals
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — of the year
  24. root — of a plant

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