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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. season — in sport
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. season — of the year
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. plane — a tool
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. root — the cause
  12. root — of a plant
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. fine — high quality
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. root — of a word
  24. fine — all right

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