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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. kid — child
  4. content — happy
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. kid — to tease
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. root — of a word
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. rock — a stone
  12. present — the time now
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. present — a gift
  15. rock — music
  16. content — the amount
  17. present — there
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. saw — the tool
  20. root — the cause
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. saw — the tool
  23. root — of a plant
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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