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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. ground — the earth
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. root — of a plant
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. rash — a series
  8. root — the cause
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. net — for catching
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. ground — crushed
  13. net — after costs
  14. root — of a word
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pitch — completely
  19. season — in sport
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. net — in sport
  23. season — of the year
  24. ground — a position

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