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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. field — for sport
  5. fork — in a road
  6. charge — a price
  7. clip — a video
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. pitch — completely
  10. field — farmland
  11. clip — for paper
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. sharp — clever
  14. deal — to handle
  15. field — a subject
  16. charge — electricity
  17. clip — to cut
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. charge — in control
  24. deal — an agreement

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