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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. perch — the fish
  3. present — there
  4. field — a subject
  5. pitch — completely
  6. present — a gift
  7. race — humankind
  8. present — the time now
  9. bank — for money
  10. root — the cause
  11. bank — of a river
  12. field — for sport
  13. root — of a plant
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. drill — a practice
  16. race — a contest
  17. drill — the tool
  18. field — farmland
  19. bank — for money
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. root — of a word
  23. race — the arms race
  24. pitch — a sports field

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