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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · mine · drill · root · present · club · mug · season

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. present — the time now
  3. present — there
  4. drill — the tool
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bat — the animal
  9. root — of a plant
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. drill — a practice
  14. season — of the year
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a face
  17. present — a gift
  18. club — a group
  19. mine — for digging
  20. season — in sport
  21. drill — army training
  22. club — for golf
  23. root — the cause
  24. bat — for baseball

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