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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. mate — a partner
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. rule — government
  8. root — the cause
  9. rule — a law
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bear — the animal
  14. degree — an amount
  15. scale — in music
  16. mate — to breed
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. root — of a plant
  19. degree — from a university
  20. mate — a friend
  21. scale — size or range
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. root — of a word
  24. degree — temperature

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