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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. root — of a plant
  3. field — a subject
  4. vault — a safe
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. perch — the fish
  7. band — a ring
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. root — of a word
  12. field — for sport
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cell — a phone
  15. pitch — completely
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. root — the cause
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — in biology
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. field — farmland
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. sharp — clever

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