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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. root — of a word
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — in sport
  6. field — for sport
  7. capital — a city
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. season — of the year
  10. capital — money
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. root — the cause
  15. perch — the fish
  16. saw — the tool
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. court — for sport
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. root — of a plant
  21. field — a subject
  22. saw — the tool
  23. court — of a king
  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