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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — a group
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. season — of the year
  7. net — for catching
  8. root — the cause
  9. root — of a word
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. board — to get on
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. root — of a plant
  14. pit — in a race
  15. march — the month
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — after costs
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. club — for dancing
  20. season — in sport
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. pit — a hole
  23. board — a committee
  24. safe — out of danger

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