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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: root · nail · racket · bat · drill · dip · season · clip

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — to cut
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. drill — a practice
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. dip — to sink
  11. root — of a plant
  12. drill — army training
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bat — the animal
  15. drill — the tool
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. root — of a word
  18. clip — for paper
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. season — of the year
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. root — the cause

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