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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. fork — in a road
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. field — a subject
  7. toast — bread
  8. field — for sport
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — for digging
  11. court — for sport
  12. mate — a partner
  13. rock — music
  14. mate — to breed
  15. field — farmland
  16. court — of a king
  17. chip — for betting
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. rock — a stone
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mate — a friend
  22. court — of law
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chip — to eat

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