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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. track — a path
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. capital — a city
  5. toast — bread
  6. saw — the tool
  7. suit — clothes
  8. root — the cause
  9. track — a song
  10. field — for sport
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. field — a subject
  13. capital — money
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. root — of a word
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. field — farmland
  18. track — to keep track
  19. saw — the tool
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. root — of a plant
  24. suit — in cards

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