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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mark — a trace
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. field — for sport
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. root — of a word
  8. root — the cause
  9. field — a subject
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. mate — a friend
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. mark — a grade
  20. root — of a plant
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. rest — a break

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