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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  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. root — the cause
  2. suit — to fit
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. face — to point toward
  5. last — final
  6. capital — a city
  7. last — to go on
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. suit — in cards
  10. face — to confront
  11. suit — clothes
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. root — of a plant
  14. capital — money
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. root — of a word
  18. field — for sport
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. face — part of the head
  21. fork — in a road
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — farmland
  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