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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. fork — in a road
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a music group
  5. club — for dancing
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. root — the cause
  10. root — of a word
  11. band — a ring
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. root — of a plant
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. chair — a leader
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. club — a group
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bat — the animal
  24. club — for golf

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