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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. march — music
  3. fine — high quality
  4. field — farmland
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — for digging
  7. field — a subject
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — the cause
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. march — the month
  15. ball — a dance
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. fine — all right
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. ball — a great time
  22. field — for sport
  23. snap — to click
  24. march — the month

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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