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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 120 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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. bank — for money
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. fork — in a road
  8. field — farmland
  9. fine — all right
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bank — of a river
  13. rush — hurry
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. fine — high quality
  17. plane — a tool
  18. drill — the tool
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bank — for money
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. field — a subject
  24. fine — a penalty

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