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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. root — of a plant
  3. court — for sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. spring — of water
  6. board — a committee
  7. root — of a word
  8. fine — all right
  9. last — final
  10. last — finally
  11. fine — high quality
  12. spring — the season
  13. root — the cause
  14. spring — a coil
  15. craft — boats
  16. last — to go on
  17. court — of law
  18. craft — a skill
  19. court — of a king
  20. field — a subject
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. field — for sport
  24. board — a flat piece

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