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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 116 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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. field — for sport
  3. root — of a word
  4. field — farmland
  5. key — in music
  6. cold — an illness
  7. key — for a lock
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. root — the cause
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. key — the most important part
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. rock — music
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bulb — for light
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. cold — not warm
  23. root — of a plant
  24. field — a subject

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