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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a dance
  4. rush — hurry
  5. ball — a great time
  6. field — farmland
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. field — for sport
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — hasty
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. field — a subject
  14. shower — to wash
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. root — of a word
  18. rash — a series
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — rain
  22. mine — for digging
  23. root — the cause
  24. safe — out of danger

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