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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: toast · net · game · fork · chest · fan · rush · root

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. root — of a word
  3. toast — bread
  4. net — in sport
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. game — a match
  8. net — after costs
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. root — of a plant
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. game — wild animals
  15. rush — hurry
  16. root — the cause
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fork — in a road
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. chest — of your body
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. net — for catching
  23. chest — a box
  24. chest — of your 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