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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. rush — hurry
  3. cap — a lid
  4. net — in sport
  5. field — for sport
  6. root — of a word
  7. chest — a box
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. tube — a container
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. cap — a hat
  12. root — of a plant
  13. chest — of your body
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. field — a subject
  16. chest — of your body
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. tube — the underground
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. net — after costs
  22. cap — of ice
  23. field — farmland
  24. root — the cause

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