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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. ground — a position
  3. net — for catching
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. root — of a word
  6. root — of a plant
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. charge — a price
  10. root — the cause
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a city
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. season — of the year
  17. ground — crushed
  18. rock — a stone
  19. net — after costs
  20. rock — music
  21. net — in sport
  22. ground — the earth
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — in control

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