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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. fork — in a road
  6. bear — the animal
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. root — of a plant
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. object — an aim
  16. object — to protest
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. object — a thing
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. root — the cause
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. root — of a word
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. bat — for baseball

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