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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. capital — a city
  3. field — farmland
  4. object — to protest
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. track — to keep track
  7. object — a thing
  8. field — for sport
  9. track — a path
  10. root — the cause
  11. root — of a word
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. wound — an injury
  14. root — of a plant
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. deal — to handle
  17. capital — money
  18. track — a song
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. object — an aim
  22. wound — an injury
  23. field — a subject
  24. deal — an agreement

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