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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. field — for sport
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. field — a subject
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. fork — in a road
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. field — farmland
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. swing — music
  15. dip — to sink
  16. face — part of the head
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. swing — to play on
  19. sharp — clever
  20. face — to point toward
  21. face — to confront
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. swing — in golf

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