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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 124 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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. root — of a word
  3. field — a subject
  4. ball — a dance
  5. lie — to recline
  6. cue — a signal
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. key — for a lock
  9. root — the cause
  10. cue — for pool
  11. degree — from a university
  12. cue — a hint
  13. root — of a plant
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. degree — temperature
  16. key — the most important part
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a great time
  19. degree — an amount
  20. field — for sport
  21. key — in music
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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