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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. sharp — clever
  6. root — of a plant
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. root — the cause
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. foot — a measure
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a line
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. root — of a word
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. temple — a place of worship

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