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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bear — the animal
  3. field — for sport
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. root — of a word
  6. season — of the year
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. ball — a dance
  9. field — farmland
  10. press — newspapers
  11. root — of a plant
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bear — the animal
  14. season — in sport
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. field — a subject
  17. kid — child
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. press — a publisher
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. press — to push
  22. root — the cause
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a great time

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