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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. root — the cause
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. season — of the year
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. root — of a word
  11. track — to keep track
  12. root — of a plant
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. season — in sport
  16. fine — all right
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. net — for catching
  19. track — a path
  20. track — a song
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. fine — high quality
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. fine — a penalty

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