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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. field — farmland
  3. wind — moving air
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. pop — soda
  6. fork — in a road
  7. board — a committee
  8. suit — in cards
  9. cell — a phone
  10. pop — music
  11. field — for sport
  12. suit — clothes
  13. field — a subject
  14. cell — in biology
  15. wind — moving air
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. board — to get on
  22. pop — to visit
  23. suit — to fit
  24. cell — in a prison

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