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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. field — farmland
  5. cold — an illness
  6. root — of a word
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. mug — to rob
  9. key — in music
  10. mug — a face
  11. key — the most important part
  12. root — the cause
  13. cold — not warm
  14. mug — a cup
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. key — for a lock
  19. field — a subject
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. deal — to handle
  23. root — of a plant
  24. hide — to keep secret

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