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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. field — a subject
  3. hand — help
  4. last — to go on
  5. staff — employees
  6. march — music
  7. root — of a word
  8. last — finally
  9. hand — in cards
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. field — for sport
  12. root — the cause
  13. march — the month
  14. root — of a plant
  15. last — final
  16. field — farmland
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. staff — a stick
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. march — the month
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. staff — employees

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