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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. cap — a hat
  3. field — for sport
  4. root — of a plant
  5. bore — to drill
  6. root — the cause
  7. cap — a lid
  8. hand — in cards
  9. last — final
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. cap — of ice
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. last — finally
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — a tin
  18. field — a subject
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. hand — help
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. last — to go on
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. root — of a word

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