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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. root — the cause
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. key — for a lock
  5. root — of a word
  6. field — a subject
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. key — in music
  10. root — of a plant
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. fall — the season
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. cue — for pool
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. cue — a signal
  19. cue — a hint
  20. key — the most important part
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. wind — moving air
  23. field — for sport
  24. wind — moving air

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