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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. root — of a plant
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. object — an aim
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. rule — a law
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. root — of a word
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — hasty
  19. root — the cause
  20. mark — a trace
  21. rash — a series
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. object — a thing
  24. object — to protest

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