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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. craft — a skill
  3. march — music
  4. fork — in a road
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. march — the month
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. fall — the season
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. march — the month
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. game — a match
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fine — high quality
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. fall — to drop
  18. field — farmland
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. fine — all right
  21. field — for sport
  22. game — wild animals
  23. craft — boats
  24. field — a subject

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