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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 120 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. land — to come down
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. root — of a plant
  5. land — ground
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. ground — crushed
  8. cue — for pool
  9. root — the cause
  10. craft — boats
  11. craft — a skill
  12. root — of a word
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. cue — a hint
  15. chip — to eat
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. land — a country
  18. fork — in a road
  19. ground — a position
  20. chip — for betting
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. ground — the earth
  24. cue — a signal

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