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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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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. sharp — clever
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. ball — a dance
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. stand — to bear
  7. root — of a plant
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. wound — an injury
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. fork — in a road
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. ball — a great time
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a word

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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