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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: file · root · swing · mine · scale · pitch · season · squash

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  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. swing — to play on
  2. season — in sport
  3. swing — music
  4. root — the cause
  5. file — a line of people
  6. root — of a plant
  7. squash — to crush
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. root — of a word
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a tool
  12. pitch — completely
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. season — of the year
  16. swing — in golf
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. squash — the sport
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. scale — size or range
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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