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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. hand — help
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. field — farmland
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. deal — to handle
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. cap — a hat
  9. hand — in cards
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. field — a subject
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a document
  14. cap — a lid
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. cap — of ice
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. file — a line of people
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. field — for sport
  23. fine — high quality
  24. deal — a big deal

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