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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. season — of the year
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. cue — a signal
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. root — of a plant
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. cue — a hint
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. chair — a leader
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. root — the cause
  18. bat — the animal
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. root — of a word
  22. cue — for pool
  23. season — in sport
  24. leaves — lets stay

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