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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. mine — for digging
  3. present — the time now
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. root — of a plant
  6. tube — a container
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. staff — employees
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — the animal
  11. present — a gift
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. present — there
  15. tube — the underground
  16. stand — to bear
  17. root — of a word
  18. staff — a stick
  19. root — the cause
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. fork — in a road
  22. staff — employees
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. mine — an explosive

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