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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. root — the cause
  3. ball — a dance
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. hand — help
  6. land — a country
  7. root — of a word
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. hand — in cards
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. chip — to eat
  12. root — of a plant
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. ball — a great time
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. fork — in a road
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. land — ground
  19. land — to come down
  20. chip — for betting
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. patient — a sick person

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