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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  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. root — of a word
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — wild animals
  4. mine — for digging
  5. field — a subject
  6. rock — music
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. stock — goods
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. stock — shares
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. field — farmland
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. game — a match
  18. root — the cause
  19. rock — a stone
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. root — of a plant
  22. field — for sport
  23. mine — belonging to me
  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