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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 116 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. firm — a company
  3. last — final
  4. root — the cause
  5. present — the time now
  6. last — to go on
  7. root — of a word
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. last — finally
  14. field — a subject
  15. present — a gift
  16. firm — steady
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. firm — decided
  20. bulb — for light
  21. stand — to bear
  22. root — of a plant
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. stand — on your feet

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