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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 124 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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Word bank
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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bass — low music
  4. root — of a word
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. season — in sport
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. root — of a plant
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. season — of the year
  17. ball — a dance
  18. sharp — clever
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. ball — a great time
  21. root — the cause
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. toast — bread

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