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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. root — the cause
  3. pass — a permit
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. field — a subject
  7. fall — to drop
  8. craft — boats
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. field — farmland
  11. capital — a city
  12. craft — a skill
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. game — wild animals
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — of a plant
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. fall — the season
  21. field — for sport
  22. fall — to drop
  23. capital — money
  24. pass — to spend time

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