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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. mate — to breed
  4. present — there
  5. snap — to click
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. fork — in a road
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. pit — a hole
  10. charge — in control
  11. root — of a plant
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. charge — electricity
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — a friend
  17. root — the cause
  18. root — of a word
  19. charge — a price
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. present — the time now
  22. pit — in a race
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. present — a gift

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