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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. press — to push
  3. field — farmland
  4. current — of water
  5. press — newspapers
  6. field — for sport
  7. net — in sport
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. press — a publisher
  10. field — a subject
  11. bear — the animal
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. land — to come down
  14. current — happening now
  15. bear — the animal
  16. current — electric
  17. root — of a word
  18. land — a country
  19. land — ground
  20. chip — to eat
  21. net — for catching
  22. root — of a plant
  23. chip — for betting
  24. net — after costs

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