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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: bay · ground · toast · date · racket · root · lie · fork

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  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. toast — the most admired
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. ground — crushed
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. root — the cause
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fork — in a road
  11. toast — bread
  12. root — of a plant
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. ground — a position
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. root — of a word
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. date — the fruit
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  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