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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 120 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. track — a song
  4. field — farmland
  5. root — of a word
  6. track — to keep track
  7. field — for sport
  8. foot — a measure
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. root — of a plant
  12. season — of the year
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. rule — a law
  15. root — the cause
  16. rule — government
  17. track — a path
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. field — a subject
  24. rule — to rule out

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