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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. root — of a word
  5. field — farmland
  6. face — to point toward
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. face — to confront
  9. field — a subject
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. root — of a plant
  13. rock — a stone
  14. file — a tool
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. file — a line of people
  17. root — the cause
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. face — part of the head
  20. rock — music
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. file — a document
  24. saw — the tool

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