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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. current — electric
  4. root — the cause
  5. field — a subject
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. season — in sport
  8. root — of a plant
  9. current — of water
  10. present — there
  11. field — for sport
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. file — a tool
  14. present — a gift
  15. file — a document
  16. current — happening now
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. root — of a word
  20. file — a line of people
  21. deal — to handle
  22. field — farmland
  23. present — the time now
  24. season — to add flavour

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