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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. fall — the season
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. field — farmland
  5. tube — the underground
  6. staff — employees
  7. fall — to drop
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. field — for sport
  10. suit — to fit
  11. suit — in cards
  12. last — to go on
  13. tube — a container
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a plant
  16. staff — a stick
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. fall — to drop
  19. field — a subject
  20. staff — employees
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. suit — clothes
  23. root — of a word
  24. last — finally

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