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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 hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — for catching
  4. pop — soda
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. field — farmland
  8. tube — a container
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. field — a subject
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. field — for sport
  13. root — the cause
  14. staff — employees
  15. tube — the underground
  16. root — of a word
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. net — after costs
  19. staff — a stick
  20. root — of a plant
  21. pop — to visit
  22. stand — to bear
  23. pop — music
  24. deal — to handle

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