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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: toast · racket · club · jam · press · present · root · season

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. present — the time now
  3. season — in sport
  4. root — of a word
  5. club — for golf
  6. toast — bread
  7. press — a publisher
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. present — a gift
  10. root — of a plant
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. press — to push
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. root — the cause
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. club — a group
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. press — newspapers
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. present — there
  24. club — for dancing

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