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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. press — to push
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. root — the cause
  6. bat — the animal
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — a subject
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. root — of a plant
  13. saw — the tool
  14. firm — decided
  15. press — newspapers
  16. firm — steady
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. firm — a company
  20. saw — the tool
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. press — a publisher
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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