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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. perch — the fish
  3. field — a subject
  4. root — the cause
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. face — to confront
  7. fine — all right
  8. court — of law
  9. root — of a word
  10. cap — of ice
  11. fine — high quality
  12. cap — a hat
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. face — to point toward
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. root — of a plant
  17. season — of the year
  18. cap — a lid
  19. face — part of the head
  20. court — for sport
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. court — of a king
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — farmland

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