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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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Word bank
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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. root — of a plant
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. date — the fruit
  6. field — a subject
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. mug — a face
  9. root — of a word
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. field — farmland
  13. chest — a box
  14. mug — to rob
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. root — the cause
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. field — for sport
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — wild animals
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. mug — a cup

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