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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 120 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. field — for sport
  3. drill — a practice
  4. bear — the animal
  5. track — a path
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. root — the cause
  8. present — there
  9. hand — in cards
  10. drill — army training
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — of a plant
  13. present — the time now
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. drill — the tool
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a song
  18. snap — to click
  19. bear — the animal
  20. hand — help
  21. present — a gift
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — farmland

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