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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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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — a container
  5. hand — help
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — a leader
  8. roll — a cake
  9. roll — a list
  10. rock — a stone
  11. root — of a plant
  12. season — of the year
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. season — in sport
  15. rock — music
  16. root — of a word
  17. squash — to crush
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. hand — in cards
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. root — the cause
  24. hand — part of the body

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