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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. field — farmland
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. content — happy
  6. present — a gift
  7. track — a path
  8. root — the cause
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. field — a subject
  11. root — of a word
  12. track — to keep track
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. mine — for digging
  15. root — of a plant
  16. saw — the tool
  17. content — the amount
  18. saw — the tool
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. track — a song
  21. present — there
  22. field — for sport
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — an explosive

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