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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — the cause
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. face — to point toward
  10. root — of a plant
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — part of the head
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. date — the fruit
  17. fork — in a road
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to click
  22. plane — a tool
  23. foot — a measure
  24. plane — an aircraft

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