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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. ball — a great time
  3. root — of a word
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — a subject
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. mug — a face
  9. field — for sport
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mine — for digging
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bound — tied together
  16. root — the cause
  17. mug — to rob
  18. root — of a plant
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — certain
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. ball — a dance
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mouse — the animal

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