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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.

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: pit · root · fine · bat · content · scale · season · kid

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. season — of the year
  5. fine — all right
  6. root — of a word
  7. content — happy
  8. root — the cause
  9. scale — in music
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. content — the amount
  13. root — of a plant
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. pit — a hole
  17. bat — the animal
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pit — in a race
  20. fine — high quality
  21. season — in sport
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — for weighing

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