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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: field · rush · toast · calf · firm · hand · root · cold

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. firm — a company
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. cold — an illness
  7. root — the cause
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. hand — help
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. toast — bread
  12. cold — not warm
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. hand — in cards
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. rush — hurry
  17. field — farmland
  18. root — of a plant
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. root — of a word
  21. field — for sport
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. firm — decided
  24. firm — steady

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