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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. field — a subject
  3. root — of a plant
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. present — there
  6. last — finally
  7. board — to get on
  8. present — a gift
  9. board — a committee
  10. present — the time now
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. root — of a word
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — rain
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — farmland
  19. root — the cause
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. pit — a hole
  22. last — final
  23. last — to go on
  24. pit — in a race

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