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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. root — the cause
  5. fork — in a road
  6. root — of a word
  7. march — the month
  8. squash — to crush
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. season — of the year
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. march — the month
  14. foot — a measure
  15. root — of a plant
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. march — music
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. squash — the sport
  20. drill — the tool
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. season — in sport
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — a practice

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