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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fork — in a road
  3. hand — help
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bear — the animal
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bear — the animal
  15. press — to push
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — newspapers
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — of a plant
  22. root — the cause
  23. hand — in cards
  24. court — of law

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