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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. shower — rain
  6. field — farmland
  7. board — a committee
  8. prune — to trim
  9. fork — in a road
  10. roll — a list
  11. prune — to trim
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. fine — all right
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. field — for sport
  19. board — to get on
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. fine — high quality
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. field — a subject
  24. roll — a cake

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