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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. field — farmland
  3. object — a thing
  4. root — of a word
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. foot — a measure
  7. cold — an illness
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. object — an aim
  13. root — of a plant
  14. object — to protest
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. field — for sport
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pound — a weight
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. cold — not warm
  21. root — the cause
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. field — a subject
  24. pound — to hit hard

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