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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. present — a gift
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — for sport
  6. root — the cause
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. root — of a plant
  9. present — there
  10. capital — a city
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fine — all right
  13. fork — in a road
  14. field — a subject
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. capital — money
  17. charge — in control
  18. fine — high quality
  19. charge — electricity
  20. charge — a price
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. present — the time now
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — the animal

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