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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. season — in sport
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. track — a song
  8. season — of the year
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. swing — music
  13. track — a path
  14. field — a subject
  15. swing — to play on
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. tear — from crying
  19. swing — in golf
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. rash — a series
  22. tear — to rip
  23. track — to keep track
  24. rash — hasty

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