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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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468
Word bank
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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. root — the cause
  3. key — in music
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cell — in biology
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. key — for a lock
  12. plane — a tool
  13. root — of a plant
  14. hand — help
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. fork — in a road
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. cold — not warm
  20. root — of a word
  21. hand — in cards
  22. cell — a phone
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. key — the most important part

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