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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. degree — temperature
  4. clip — for paper
  5. ground — a position
  6. mug — a cup
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. clip — a video
  13. root — of a word
  14. mug — to rob
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. root — the cause
  17. mug — a face
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. clip — to cut
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — the earth
  23. root — of a plant
  24. degree — an amount

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