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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — a subject
  4. board — to get on
  5. mate — a partner
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. root — of a plant
  9. spell — letters
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. field — farmland
  12. spell — a short time
  13. mate — a friend
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. root — the cause
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. board — a committee
  20. spell — magic
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. deal — to handle
  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