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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. ground — crushed
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. fall — to drop
  10. root — the cause
  11. game — a match
  12. fall — to drop
  13. ground — a position
  14. root — of a plant
  15. game — wild animals
  16. ground — the earth
  17. date — the fruit
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. rest — a break
  20. rest — what's left
  21. root — of a word
  22. rest — what's left
  23. fall — the season
  24. date — on the calendar

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