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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. field — for sport
  3. capital — money
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wound — an injury
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bulb — for light
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. root — the cause
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. capital — a city
  14. bulb — for light
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. fine — high quality
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. field — a subject
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. root — of a word
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. root — of a plant
  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