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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 120 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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. root — of a word
  3. march — the month
  4. root — the cause
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. row — a line
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. march — music
  9. current — happening now
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. current — electric
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. field — for sport
  14. pound — a weight
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. row — to paddle
  18. kick — in football
  19. march — the month
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. current — of water
  22. root — of a plant
  23. field — farmland
  24. kick — with a leg

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