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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. march — the month
  4. saw — the tool
  5. squash — the sport
  6. march — music
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. root — the cause
  10. march — the month
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. fork — in a road
  13. hand — in cards
  14. saw — the tool
  15. squash — to crush
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. hand — help
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. root — of a plant
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

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