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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. swing — to play on
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — in music
  6. rest — a break
  7. key — the most important part
  8. swing — music
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. swing — in golf
  12. rest — what's left
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. staff — employees
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. staff — a stick
  18. root — of a plant
  19. fork — in a road
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a word
  23. pound — a weight
  24. staff — employees

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