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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. field — for sport
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. foot — a measure
  9. key — in music
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. key — for a lock
  13. field — a subject
  14. deal — to handle
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. key — the most important part
  18. clip — a video
  19. bulb — for light
  20. fork — in a road
  21. bulb — for light
  22. clip — to cut
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. field — farmland

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