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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. mate — to breed
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. root — of a plant
  8. drill — army training
  9. mate — a partner
  10. rock — music
  11. content — the amount
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. mate — a friend
  14. can — a tin
  15. rock — a stone
  16. drill — the tool
  17. root — of a word
  18. content — happy
  19. drill — a practice
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. root — the cause
  22. sharp — clever
  23. can — to be able to
  24. fork — in a road

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