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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 116 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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. field — farmland
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. march — the month
  5. field — a subject
  6. face — to point toward
  7. march — the month
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. fork — in a road
  10. mate — to breed
  11. present — a gift
  12. present — the time now
  13. face — to confront
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. rash — a series
  16. face — part of the head
  17. march — music
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. rash — hasty
  20. field — for sport
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mate — a friend
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. present — there

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