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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. object — a thing
  4. field — a subject
  5. object — an aim
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. root — of a plant
  10. foot — a measure
  11. net — after costs
  12. net — for catching
  13. ball — a dance
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. net — in sport
  17. bat — the animal
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — for sport
  20. ball — a great time
  21. root — of a word
  22. object — to protest
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. ball — a round shape

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