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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. field — farmland
  4. spring — the season
  5. field — for sport
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. charge — a price
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. charge — electricity
  10. bear — the animal
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bear — the animal
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. root — of a word
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — a coil
  18. root — the cause
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. root — of a plant
  22. field — a subject
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. racket — for tennis

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