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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. pitch — completely
  5. suit — in cards
  6. rule — government
  7. root — of a word
  8. suit — clothes
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. root — the cause
  11. root — of a plant
  12. suit — to fit
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. field — for sport
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. field — farmland
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. rule — a law
  23. can — to be able to
  24. field — a subject

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