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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. can — a tin
  4. root — of a word
  5. can — a tin
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. field — for sport
  8. can — to be able to
  9. cue — for pool
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. cue — a hint
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — clever
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. field — farmland
  16. press — newspapers
  17. root — the cause
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. press — to push
  21. root — of a plant
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. cue — a signal
  24. press — a publisher

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