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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
468
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: foot · saw · field · root · ball · arm · degree · date

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. field — a subject
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. field — for sport
  5. ball — a great time
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. ball — a dance
  10. field — farmland
  11. foot — a measure
  12. saw — the tool
  13. degree — an amount
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — of a word
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. degree — from a university
  20. date — the fruit
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. degree — temperature
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. saw — the tool

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