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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. current — of water
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. field — a subject
  5. key — for a lock
  6. squash — to crush
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. key — the most important part
  9. current — electric
  10. squash — the sport
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. current — happening now
  13. date — the fruit
  14. key — in music
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. field — farmland
  18. root — of a word
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a plant
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bear — to put up with

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