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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. root — of a word
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. suit — to fit
  5. suit — clothes
  6. net — for catching
  7. root — of a plant
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. land — ground
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. land — a country
  14. suit — in cards
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. net — in sport
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. deal — to handle
  20. root — the cause
  21. plane — a tool
  22. net — after costs
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. fork — in a road

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