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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. net — after costs
  3. sharp — clever
  4. scale — in music
  5. root — of a plant
  6. land — ground
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. land — to come down
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. net — in sport
  11. root — the cause
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. root — of a word
  15. land — a country
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a hole
  18. scale — size or range
  19. toast — bread
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. net — for catching
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. fork — in a road
  24. scale — for weighing

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