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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: saw · root · racket · swing · land · content · season · drill

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. saw — the tool
  3. swing — music
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. drill — army training
  7. drill — a practice
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. swing — to play on
  10. drill — the tool
  11. root — of a word
  12. land — ground
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. root — of a plant
  16. land — to come down
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. season — of the year
  19. saw — the tool
  20. root — the cause
  21. swing — in golf
  22. land — a country
  23. content — happy
  24. content — the amount

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