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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 120 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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. field — farmland
  6. can — a tin
  7. pitch — completely
  8. court — of law
  9. fine — all right
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. field — a subject
  12. shower — rain
  13. court — of a king
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. dip — to sink
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. fork — in a road
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. field — for sport
  23. court — for sport
  24. fine — high quality

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