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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 120 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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. root — of a plant
  4. stock — goods
  5. mug — a face
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fork — in a road
  8. lean — to bend
  9. stock — shares
  10. root — the cause
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — clever
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mug — a cup
  23. lean — thin
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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