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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. firm — steady
  3. season — in sport
  4. root — the cause
  5. field — for sport
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. firm — decided
  11. season — of the year
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a city
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. wound — an injury
  17. root — of a plant
  18. field — farmland
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. wound — an injury
  22. field — a subject
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. root — of a word

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