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

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. drill — army training
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. suit — to fit
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. field — a subject
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. drill — a practice
  13. field — for sport
  14. suit — clothes
  15. drill — the tool
  16. scale — size or range
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. mine — for digging
  19. rest — what's left
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. scale — in music
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. field — farmland
  24. suit — in cards

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