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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. root — the cause
  4. spell — magic
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fork — in a road
  8. track — a path
  9. bear — the animal
  10. track — to keep track
  11. spell — letters
  12. root — of a plant
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. track — a song
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. root — of a word
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — in sport
  21. bear — the animal
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. ball — a great time
  24. spell — a short time

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