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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. saw — the tool
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. rest — what's left
  5. fork — in a road
  6. content — the amount
  7. field — for sport
  8. root — of a word
  9. file — a line of people
  10. saw — the tool
  11. root — the cause
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. content — happy
  14. file — a document
  15. rest — what's left
  16. can — to be able to
  17. field — farmland
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. can — a tin
  20. root — of a plant
  21. field — a subject
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. can — a tin
  24. file — a 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