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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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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: game · shower · swing · pit · rash · mark · racket · root

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. rash — hasty
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. pit — in a race
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. root — of a word
  7. swing — in golf
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. swing — to play on
  10. mark — a grade
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. rash — a series
  13. swing — music
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. mark — a trace
  16. shower — rain
  17. root — the cause
  18. game — wild animals
  19. shower — to wash
  20. game — a match
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pit — a hole
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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