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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. field — for sport
  3. roll — a cake
  4. charge — a price
  5. face — to point toward
  6. roll — a list
  7. root — the cause
  8. ball — a great time
  9. last — finally
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bore — to drill
  12. field — farmland
  13. root — of a word
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. face — part of the head
  16. charge — electricity
  17. last — to go on
  18. charge — in control
  19. face — to confront
  20. last — final
  21. field — a subject
  22. ball — a dance
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. root — of a plant

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