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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. ball — a dance
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. field — for sport
  5. ball — a great time
  6. field — a subject
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. chest — a box
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. press — to push
  13. field — farmland
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. chest — of your body
  17. content — happy
  18. chest — of your body
  19. plane — a tool
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — a publisher
  22. content — the amount
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. fork — a garden tool

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