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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. fork — in a road
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. lean — thin
  7. root — of a word
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of law
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bear — the animal
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. root — the cause
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. court — of a king
  21. lean — to bend
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bear — the animal

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