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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 116 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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. root — of a word
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. game — wild animals
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — letters
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a friend
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. spell — a short time
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. root — of a plant
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. root — the cause
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. game — a match
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. mate — a partner
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. patient — a sick person

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