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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. track — a song
  4. field — for sport
  5. root — of a plant
  6. field — a subject
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. root — of a word
  9. field — farmland
  10. track — to keep track
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. pop — to visit
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. present — the time now
  15. toast — bread
  16. present — there
  17. pop — soda
  18. track — a path
  19. present — a gift
  20. root — the cause
  21. pop — music
  22. sharp — clever
  23. staff — a stick
  24. staff — employees

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