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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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. content — videos and posts
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. firm — a company
  8. root — of a plant
  9. degree — temperature
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. root — the cause
  13. net — in sport
  14. content — happy
  15. firm — decided
  16. net — for catching
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — from a university
  19. firm — steady
  20. root — of a word
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. content — the amount
  23. fork — in a road
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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