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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 116 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. rule — a law
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. cap — a lid
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fork — in a road
  8. rule — government
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. root — the cause
  13. hand — in cards
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. hand — help
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cap — a hat
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. root — of a plant
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. root — of a word
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. nail — for a hammer

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