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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. shower — to wash
  3. field — a subject
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. object — a thing
  6. land — ground
  7. object — to protest
  8. present — the time now
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bear — the animal
  11. shower — rain
  12. land — a country
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. present — a gift
  15. field — farmland
  16. object — an aim
  17. kick — in football
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. land — to come down
  20. field — for sport
  21. bear — the animal
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. present — there

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