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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 124 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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. root — of a word
  3. shower — rain
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — child
  6. shower — to wash
  7. pop — to visit
  8. march — the month
  9. pop — music
  10. kid — to tease
  11. foot — a measure
  12. field — for sport
  13. pop — soda
  14. root — the cause
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — all right
  17. march — the month
  18. root — of a plant
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. field — farmland
  23. fine — high quality
  24. field — a subject

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