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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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. last — finally
  3. chair — a leader
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. perch — the fish
  7. foot — a measure
  8. root — of a word
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. file — a tool
  12. fork — in a road
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. file — a line of people
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. last — final
  21. file — a document
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. root — the cause
  24. last — to go on

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