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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. root — of a plant
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. mug — a cup
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. drill — a practice
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — the sport
  11. drill — army training
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — an amount
  14. drill — the tool
  15. field — farmland
  16. mug — to rob
  17. field — for sport
  18. foot — a measure
  19. mug — a face
  20. root — the cause
  21. field — a subject
  22. degree — temperature
  23. root — of a word
  24. squash — to crush

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