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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 120 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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. field — for sport
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. root — of a plant
  5. field — farmland
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. kid — to tease
  8. root — of a word
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. kid — child
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. field — a subject
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. net — after costs
  17. scale — in music
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. scale — size or range
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. lie — to recline
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — for catching

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