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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. press — to push
  3. current — of water
  4. field — a subject
  5. ground — a position
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. last — final
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. ground — the earth
  12. field — for sport
  13. current — electric
  14. foot — a measure
  15. field — farmland
  16. last — to go on
  17. bat — the animal
  18. current — happening now
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. ground — crushed
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — newspapers
  24. last — finally

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