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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bound — certain
  4. field — a subject
  5. root — the cause
  6. bass — low music
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bound — tied together
  9. root — of a plant
  10. field — for sport
  11. key — the most important part
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. key — in music
  14. field — farmland
  15. squash — to crush
  16. board — to get on
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bound — obliged
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bass — the fish
  22. key — for a lock
  23. date — the fruit
  24. board — a committee

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