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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. root — the cause
  3. root — of a word
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. foot — a measure
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. root — of a plant
  9. field — a subject
  10. kid — to tease
  11. field — farmland
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. kid — child
  19. season — of the year
  20. field — for sport
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. season — in sport

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