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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 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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. root — of a word
  3. last — finally
  4. last — final
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. last — to go on
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — a cake
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — in sport
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. fork — in a road
  17. root — of a plant
  18. fork — a garden 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