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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  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. row — a line
  2. field — for sport
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. chip — to eat
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. fork — in a road
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bass — low music
  9. club — for golf
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. row — to paddle
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. chip — for betting
  15. bulb — for light
  16. field — farmland
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bass — the fish
  19. club — a group
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  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