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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 120 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. club — for dancing
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. spring — the season
  5. root — of a word
  6. club — a group
  7. spring — of water
  8. field — a subject
  9. bound — obliged
  10. root — the cause
  11. club — for golf
  12. bound — certain
  13. rock — music
  14. bound — tied together
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — farmland
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. rock — a stone
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. root — of a plant

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