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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: face · root · jam · wound · game · cue · fork · sharp

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. sharp — clever
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. cue — a signal
  6. root — the cause
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — a match
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. cue — a hint
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. wound — an injury
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — in a road
  16. root — of a word
  17. face — to confront
  18. root — of a plant
  19. face — to point toward
  20. wound — an injury
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. face — part of the head
  23. game — wild animals
  24. cue — for pool

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