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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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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rash — a series
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — to crush
  5. field — a subject
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. squash — the sport
  8. charge — a price
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — for sport
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. craft — a skill
  16. craft — boats
  17. charge — electricity
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. rash — hasty
  20. root — the cause
  21. root — of a plant
  22. charge — in control
  23. rock — a stone
  24. root — of a word

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