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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: club · safe · content · racket · bat · root · can · season

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  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. safe — out of danger
  2. season — in sport
  3. content — happy
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. club — a group
  7. can — a tin
  8. season — of the year
  9. can — to be able to
  10. root — of a word
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. root — the cause
  13. club — for dancing
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. club — for golf
  17. can — a tin
  18. bat — the animal
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. root — of a plant
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. safe — a strongbox
  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