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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: squash · cap · pitcher · land · root · bass · fine · season

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fine — high quality
  3. season — in sport
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bass — the fish
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cap — a lid
  8. root — of a plant
  9. root — of a word
  10. land — a country
  11. land — ground
  12. fine — all right
  13. land — to come down
  14. squash — the sport
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bass — low music
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. cap — of ice
  22. root — the cause
  23. season — of the year
  24. squash — to crush

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