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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 116 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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. field — for sport
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. net — for catching
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. tear — from crying
  8. root — of a word
  9. squash — the sport
  10. present — a gift
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. net — in sport
  13. squash — to crush
  14. present — there
  15. sharp — clever
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a plant
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. stand — to bear
  21. present — the time now
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. net — after costs
  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