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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. root — the cause
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. field — for sport
  8. bat — the animal
  9. root — of a plant
  10. root — of a word
  11. rest — what's left
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. rest — a break
  19. squash — to crush
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — farmland
  22. season — in sport
  23. rest — what's left
  24. fan — a supporter

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