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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. kid — child
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. kid — to tease
  5. root — of a plant
  6. file — a line of people
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. file — a tool
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. hand — help
  13. root — of a word
  14. scale — in music
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. root — the cause
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. file — a document
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. chair — a leader
  21. hand — in cards
  22. fork — in a road
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. chair — to sit on

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