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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. tube — a container
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. drill — a practice
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. tube — the underground
  8. drill — army training
  9. land — to come down
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. land — ground
  12. root — of a plant
  13. key — the most important part
  14. fork — in a road
  15. root — of a word
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. kid — to tease
  18. roll — a cake
  19. kid — child
  20. drill — the tool
  21. key — in music
  22. root — the cause
  23. land — a country
  24. key — for a lock

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