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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bat · hand · bay · net · root · toast

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. net — after costs
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. hand — help
  6. root — of a word
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. root — the cause
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. net — for catching
  12. toast — bread
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. root — of a plant
  16. bat — the animal
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bat — in an idiom

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