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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. kid — to tease
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. perch — the fish
  6. root — the cause
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. root — of a plant
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. field — a subject
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. kid — child
  18. field — farmland
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. field — for sport
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. safe — out of danger

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