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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 120 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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. firm — a company
  5. fork — in a road
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chip — to eat
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. chip — for betting
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. band — a ring
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. firm — steady
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. firm — decided
  22. band — a music group
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. field — farmland

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