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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. root — of a word
  3. clip — for paper
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. root — the cause
  6. root — of a plant
  7. fork — in a road
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. can — a tin
  10. object — a thing
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. object — to protest
  14. club — for dancing
  15. can — a tin
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. object — an aim
  19. club — a group
  20. can — to be able to
  21. content — happy
  22. clip — to cut
  23. club — for golf
  24. clip — a video

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