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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: ball · root · march · fork · pitcher · dip · fine · season

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. fine — high quality
  3. ball — a dance
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. march — music
  6. season — in sport
  7. root — the cause
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. season — of the year
  16. march — the month
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. root — of a word
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. march — the month
  21. fine — all right
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. fork — in a road
  24. root — of a plant

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