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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. present — a gift
  4. object — an aim
  5. file — a document
  6. march — the month
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. march — the month
  9. present — there
  10. present — the time now
  11. object — a thing
  12. file — a line of people
  13. field — a subject
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — in a road
  16. face — part of the head
  17. field — for sport
  18. fine — high quality
  19. file — a tool
  20. object — to protest
  21. face — to confront
  22. fine — all right
  23. march — music
  24. face — to point toward

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