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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. season — in sport
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. content — the amount
  5. drill — a practice
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. game — a match
  8. root — of a plant
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — in sport
  11. root — of a word
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. net — for catching
  14. root — the cause
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. season — of the year
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. game — wild animals
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. content — happy
  22. stem — to come from
  23. drill — army training
  24. content — videos and posts

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