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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: root · cell · mug · season · hand · nail · toast · game

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. mug — to rob
  3. season — in sport
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. toast — bread
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. cell — in biology
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. hand — in cards
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. season — of the year
  16. root — of a plant
  17. mug — a face
  18. root — the cause
  19. hand — help
  20. cell — a phone
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. mug — a cup
  23. game — a match
  24. game — wild animals

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