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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. mug — a cup
  4. race — the arms race
  5. mate — a friend
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. race — humankind
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mug — a face
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. root — of a word
  13. content — happy
  14. root — the cause
  15. race — a contest
  16. net — in sport
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. root — of a plant
  19. field — for sport
  20. mate — to breed
  21. content — the amount
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. mate — a partner
  24. field — a subject

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