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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. root — of a word
  4. mate — a friend
  5. fine — high quality
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — final
  9. mate — a partner
  10. current — happening now
  11. root — of a plant
  12. vault — a safe
  13. current — electric
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. last — finally
  16. mate — to breed
  17. root — the cause
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. current — of water
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fine — all right

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