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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. root — of a plant
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. root — of a word
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. rule — a law
  7. face — part of the head
  8. cold — not warm
  9. can — a tin
  10. face — to point toward
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. field — farmland
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. cold — an illness
  15. swing — music
  16. face — to confront
  17. rule — government
  18. swing — in golf
  19. root — the cause
  20. field — for sport
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. swing — to play on

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