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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. clip — for paper
  3. field — a subject
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. root — of a word
  7. deal — to handle
  8. current — electric
  9. clip — to cut
  10. current — happening now
  11. board — to get on
  12. root — of a plant
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. clip — a video
  15. board — a committee
  16. root — the cause
  17. squash — to crush
  18. content — the amount
  19. field — farmland
  20. current — of water
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. squash — the sport
  23. content — happy
  24. squash — the vegetable

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