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

Word bank: roll · capital · tear · root · bat · fork · chip · safe

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. roll — a list
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. capital — money
  6. tear — to rip
  7. roll — a cake
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. capital — a city
  11. tear — from crying
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. chip — to eat
  17. root — of a plant
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. root — of a word
  20. fork — in a road
  21. bat — the animal
  22. root — the cause
  23. chip — for betting
  24. tear — from crying

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