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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. last — finally
  4. club — for dancing
  5. root — the cause
  6. toast — bread
  7. club — for golf
  8. field — farmland
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. last — to go on
  11. root — of a word
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. field — for sport
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. last — final
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. club — a group
  21. field — a subject
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. root — of a plant
  24. jam — in traffic

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