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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. fork — in a road
  4. last — finally
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. net — after costs
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. root — of a word
  9. drill — the tool
  10. net — for catching
  11. tube — the underground
  12. root — the cause
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. root — of a plant
  15. rule — government
  16. last — to go on
  17. net — in sport
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tube — a container
  20. shower — to wash
  21. drill — a practice
  22. rule — a law
  23. last — final
  24. shower — rain

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