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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. field — a subject
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. plane — a tool
  7. field — for sport
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. field — farmland
  10. cell — in biology
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. land — a country
  15. ground — crushed
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. land — to come down
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. land — ground
  22. fork — in a road
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — the earth

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