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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. root — of a plant
  5. key — the most important part
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. cue — a hint
  12. fork — in a road
  13. pitch — completely
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. root — the cause
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. root — of a word
  21. key — in music
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. key — for a lock
  24. mine — for digging

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