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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. game — a match
  3. staff — a stick
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. field — for sport
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. rush — hurry
  9. swing — music
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. bear — the animal
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. swing — to play on
  16. field — farmland
  17. staff — employees
  18. game — wild animals
  19. swing — in golf
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. staff — employees
  22. field — a subject
  23. fork — in a road
  24. game — a kind of play

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