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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
468
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: mate · chest · fork · ground · object · root · hand · ball

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. ground — a position
  3. fork — in a road
  4. mate — to breed
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — a box
  7. chest — of your body
  8. object — an aim
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. root — the cause
  11. ground — crushed
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — of a word
  14. object — a thing
  15. hand — help
  16. mate — a partner
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ground — the earth
  19. hand — in cards
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a dance
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. object — to protest
  24. hand — part of the body

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