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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. field — for sport
  3. game — wild animals
  4. hand — in cards
  5. field — farmland
  6. board — to get on
  7. field — a subject
  8. mate — a partner
  9. root — of a plant
  10. game — a match
  11. mate — a friend
  12. root — of a word
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. mate — to breed
  15. board — a committee
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. stand — to bear
  18. file — a document
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a tool
  23. hand — help
  24. stand — for spectators

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