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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — a face
  5. face — part of the head
  6. rest — what's left
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. season — of the year
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rash — a series
  13. ground — the earth
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. root — the cause
  17. face — to point toward
  18. rest — a break
  19. ground — crushed
  20. face — to confront
  21. root — of a word
  22. ground — a position
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. root — of a plant

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