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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. drill — a practice
  3. charge — a price
  4. charge — electricity
  5. last — finally
  6. bore — to tire
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. last — final
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. charge — in control
  13. wound — an injury
  14. fork — in a road
  15. last — to go on
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — the tool
  18. mine — for digging
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. root — of a plant
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. root — the cause

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