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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. root — of a word
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. race — the arms race
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. root — the cause
  14. race — a contest
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. root — of a plant
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. field — farmland
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. dip — to sink
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. race — humankind

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