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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. field — for sport
  4. root — the cause
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — music
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bass — low music
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bass — the fish
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bark — to shout
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. field — farmland
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. game — a match
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. field — a subject
  24. pound — a weight

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