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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. staff — employees
  4. root — of a word
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. last — finally
  7. root — of a plant
  8. pop — music
  9. scale — size or range
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — a stick
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cell — a phone
  14. last — final
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. field — a subject
  17. root — the cause
  18. pop — soda
  19. scale — in music
  20. cell — in biology
  21. pop — to visit
  22. last — to go on
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. field — farmland

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