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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. fine — high quality
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. root — of a word
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — army training
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. root — the cause
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — happy
  13. fine — all right
  14. file — a line of people
  15. field — a subject
  16. root — of a plant
  17. mark — a trace
  18. field — farmland
  19. file — a tool
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. field — for sport
  23. content — the amount
  24. file — a document

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