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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bear — the animal
  4. ground — crushed
  5. root — the cause
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — an illness
  9. root — of a plant
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. suit — in cards
  13. suit — to fit
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. root — of a word
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. suit — clothes
  18. field — farmland
  19. cue — for pool
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. ground — a position
  22. cue — a signal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. field — for sport

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