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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 120 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: wind · bowl · safe · season · arm · root · net · court

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. net — after costs
  3. court — of law
  4. net — for catching
  5. court — of a king
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. court — for sport
  11. net — in sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. root — the cause
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. season — in sport
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. season — of the year
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. wind — moving air
  22. root — of a plant
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. safe — a strongbox

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