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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  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. rash — on the skin
  2. field — a subject
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. mate — a friend
  5. field — farmland
  6. root — the cause
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. pit — in a race
  11. mate — to breed
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. root — of a plant
  15. mate — a partner
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pit — a hole
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. rash — a series
  20. root — of a word
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. rash — hasty
  23. racket — for tennis
  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