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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: game · lie · degree · fork · stand · root · file · stick

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. root — the cause
  4. stand — to bear
  5. root — of a word
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fork — in a road
  8. game — wild animals
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. file — a tool
  12. degree — temperature
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. degree — from a university
  15. file — a line of people
  16. root — of a plant
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. file — a document
  20. degree — an amount
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. lie — to recline

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