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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: swing · pit · game · scale · row · season · root · march

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pit — a hole
  5. march — the month
  6. root — of a plant
  7. march — the month
  8. swing — music
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. scale — size or range
  12. game — a match
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. swing — in golf
  15. swing — to play on
  16. root — the cause
  17. march — music
  18. row — a line
  19. season — of the year
  20. pit — in a race
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. row — to paddle
  24. game — wild animals

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