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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. club — for golf
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. drill — a practice
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. club — a group
  10. root — the cause
  11. drill — the tool
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. root — of a word
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — a country
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. club — for dancing
  18. root — of a plant
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. season — of the year
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. land — ground
  24. drill — army training

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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