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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. fork — in a road
  3. bat — the animal
  4. content — happy
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. root — the cause
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. root — of a plant
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. content — the amount
  17. root — of a word
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bat — in an idiom

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