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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 116 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. spell — letters
  3. row — a line
  4. root — of a word
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. fork — in a road
  7. spell — a short time
  8. root — of a plant
  9. board — to get on
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. board — a committee
  12. deal — to handle
  13. bound — obliged
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. bound — certain
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — to paddle
  18. root — the cause
  19. spell — magic
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. bound — tied together
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. racket — for tennis

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