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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. scale — size or range
  3. root — the cause
  4. stock — goods
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. bat — the animal
  7. drill — the tool
  8. root — of a plant
  9. root — of a word
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. drill — a practice
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. spell — magic
  14. stock — shares
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. spell — a short time
  18. drill — army training
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. spell — letters
  22. plane — a tool
  23. scale — in music
  24. fork — a garden tool

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