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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 116 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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  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. root — of a plant
  2. field — a subject
  3. root — of a word
  4. squash — the sport
  5. land — to come down
  6. drill — army training
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. game — a match
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. squash — to crush
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. field — farmland
  13. land — ground
  14. drill — a practice
  15. land — a country
  16. pass — a permit
  17. game — wild animals
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. drill — the tool
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. root — the cause
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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