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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. ball — a great time
  3. root — of a word
  4. ball — a dance
  5. spring — a coil
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. race — the arms race
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. root — of a plant
  11. spring — of water
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. pitch — completely
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. spring — the season
  19. race — humankind
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. race — a contest
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — in sport

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