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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. root — the cause
  5. root — of a plant
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — a publisher
  9. scale — in music
  10. cold — not warm
  11. field — a subject
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. press — to push
  16. scale — size or range
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. rush — hurry
  21. field — farmland
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. root — of a word
  24. mouse — the animal

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