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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. root — of a word
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. mark — a trace
  6. season — of the year
  7. root — the cause
  8. bass — low music
  9. chip — to eat
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. kid — child
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bass — the fish
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — to tease
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. root — of a plant
  24. mark — a grade

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