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

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. sharp — clever
  3. season — in sport
  4. can — to be able to
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. pound — a weight
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. field — a subject
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. can — a tin
  12. field — farmland
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. land — a country
  17. can — a tin
  18. field — for sport
  19. land — ground
  20. fork — in a road
  21. land — to come down
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. season — of the year

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