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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. net — after costs
  3. pit — in a race
  4. field — farmland
  5. pit — a hole
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. root — of a word
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. root — the cause
  12. root — of a plant
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. field — a subject
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. branch — a division
  17. net — for catching
  18. field — for sport
  19. net — in sport
  20. fine — high quality
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. fork — in a road
  24. sharp — clever

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