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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 116 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. root — of a plant
  3. mug — a face
  4. march — music
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ball — a great time
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — a subject
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. mug — to rob
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. spell — magic
  14. sharp — clever
  15. field — for sport
  16. spell — a short time
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. march — the month
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. spell — letters
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. march — the month
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a word

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