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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. root — of a word
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mug — a face
  6. ball — a dance
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. mug — a cup
  9. root — the cause
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. mug — to rob
  12. scale — in music
  13. root — of a plant
  14. pound — a weight
  15. season — in sport
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. season — of the year
  23. rest — a break
  24. scale — size or range

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