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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. field — a subject
  3. court — of law
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. root — of a word
  9. field — for sport
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. court — of a king
  15. stand — to bear
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. field — farmland
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. cold — an illness
  21. court — for sport
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. root — the cause
  24. cold — not warm

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