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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.

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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: root · club · deal · track · squash · temple · court · field

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — a path
  3. field — for sport
  4. root — the cause
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. field — a subject
  8. root — of a plant
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. deal — to handle
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — for dancing
  13. squash — to crush
  14. track — to keep track
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — for sport
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. court — of law
  19. club — a group
  20. field — farmland
  21. root — of a word
  22. squash — the sport
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — side of the head

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