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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fork — in a road
  3. field — for sport
  4. mug — a face
  5. stand — to bear
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — size or range
  8. track — a song
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. stock — shares
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. mug — a cup
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. track — a path
  16. stock — goods
  17. field — a subject
  18. scale — in music
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. field — farmland
  21. mug — to rob
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. branch — a division
  24. track — to keep track

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