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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. field — a subject
  3. root — of a word
  4. cap — a lid
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. root — the cause
  7. cap — of ice
  8. season — of the year
  9. field — farmland
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. lean — thin
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. field — for sport
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. root — of a plant
  17. mine — for digging
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cap — a hat
  22. lean — to bend
  23. chair — a leader
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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