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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 124 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. net — after costs
  3. squash — to crush
  4. mate — a friend
  5. root — of a plant
  6. craft — boats
  7. present — the time now
  8. present — there
  9. root — of a word
  10. march — the month
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. squash — the sport
  13. mate — a partner
  14. root — the cause
  15. march — the month
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. craft — a skill
  19. mate — to breed
  20. net — for catching
  21. march — music
  22. fork — in a road
  23. net — in sport
  24. fork — a garden tool

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