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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. season — of the year
  5. bound — obliged
  6. saw — the tool
  7. root — of a word
  8. root — of a plant
  9. cue — a hint
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. fork — in a road
  12. charge — in control
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. root — the cause
  15. season — in sport
  16. sharp — clever
  17. charge — a price
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cue — for pool
  20. charge — electricity
  21. cue — a signal
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — certain
  24. sharp — exactly

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