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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. net — after costs
  3. object — an aim
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. suit — clothes
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. fork — in a road
  9. net — for catching
  10. object — to protest
  11. field — farmland
  12. net — in sport
  13. suit — to fit
  14. field — a subject
  15. suit — in cards
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. field — for sport
  20. date — the fruit
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — to crush
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. object — a thing

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