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

Word bank: coach · bat · bowl · saw · capital · root · kid · fork

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. capital — a city
  4. root — of a plant
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. root — of a word
  9. root — the cause
  10. fork — in a road
  11. capital — money
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. kid — child
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bowl — a dish

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