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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. pop — soda
  4. mate — a friend
  5. field — for sport
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. field — a subject
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. stock — shares
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. field — farmland
  15. mate — a partner
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — thin
  18. foot — a measure
  19. fork — in a road
  20. pop — music
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. stock — goods
  23. pop — to visit
  24. mate — to breed

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