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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — to keep track
  3. root — the cause
  4. bulb — for light
  5. root — of a word
  6. field — a subject
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a line of people
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. file — a tool
  12. track — a path
  13. bulb — for light
  14. field — for sport
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. field — farmland
  18. court — of a king
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of law
  24. root — of a plant

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