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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 120 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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. root — the cause
  4. fork — in a road
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. shower — to wash
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. shower — rain
  10. chest — of your body
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — for digging
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — in sport
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. chest — a box
  19. vault — a safe
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. chest — of your body
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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