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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. root — of a plant
  7. spring — of water
  8. root — of a word
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. ground — a position
  13. spring — the season
  14. mine — for digging
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. root — the cause
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fine — high quality
  19. chip — to eat
  20. ground — the earth
  21. spring — a coil
  22. fine — all right
  23. chip — for betting
  24. ground — crushed

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