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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bear — the animal
  5. game — wild animals
  6. root — of a word
  7. mug — to rob
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. game — a match
  14. chip — to eat
  15. root — the cause
  16. mug — a cup
  17. present — there
  18. fork — in a road
  19. chip — for betting
  20. bear — the animal
  21. present — a gift
  22. present — the time now
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. root — of a plant

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