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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 116 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 · net · scale · saw · game · clip · can · racket

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. clip — for paper
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — after costs
  6. root — of a word
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. can — a tin
  9. clip — a video
  10. game — wild animals
  11. scale — size or range
  12. can — a tin
  13. saw — the tool
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. can — to be able to
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. clip — to cut
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. net — in sport
  21. root — of a plant
  22. root — the cause
  23. game — a match
  24. scale — in music

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