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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pit — in a race
  3. staff — employees
  4. field — a subject
  5. rest — a break
  6. root — of a plant
  7. root — of a word
  8. mug — a cup
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. rest — what's left
  11. kid — to tease
  12. staff — a stick
  13. mug — a face
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — child
  16. band — a ring
  17. root — the cause
  18. field — for sport
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. mug — to rob
  21. staff — employees
  22. field — farmland
  23. rest — what's left
  24. band — a music group

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