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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. staff — employees
  3. craft — a skill
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. craft — boats
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. root — of a word
  11. staff — a stick
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. cap — of ice
  14. ball — a great time
  15. cap — a lid
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. content — happy
  18. content — the amount
  19. staff — employees
  20. root — of a plant
  21. cap — a hat
  22. fork — in a road
  23. ball — a dance
  24. root — the cause

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