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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — a committee
  6. root — the cause
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. ground — crushed
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — finally
  12. last — final
  13. ground — a position
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. fork — in a road
  16. file — a document
  17. root — of a word
  18. file — a tool
  19. board — to get on
  20. file — a line of people
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. root — of a plant
  23. deal — to handle
  24. lash — an eyelash

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