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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. file — a line of people
  3. root — the cause
  4. sharp — clever
  5. key — the most important part
  6. row — to paddle
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. root — of a plant
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. field — for sport
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. root — of a word
  16. key — in music
  17. row — a line
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a tool
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. key — for a lock
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — a subject
  24. sharp — with an edge

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