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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. fork — in a road
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. hand — in cards
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. field — for sport
  11. vault — a safe
  12. hand — help
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. wake — a trail
  15. field — farmland
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. field — a subject
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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