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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. court — for sport
  3. field — farmland
  4. staff — a stick
  5. field — for sport
  6. staff — employees
  7. field — a subject
  8. court — of law
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — a leader
  13. court — of a king
  14. root — of a plant
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. spring — of water
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — the cause
  20. spring — a coil
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. spring — the season
  24. staff — employees

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