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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 116 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. firm — decided
  4. field — a subject
  5. firm — steady
  6. fork — in a road
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. file — a tool
  9. field — farmland
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. firm — a company
  13. fall — to drop
  14. field — for sport
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. board — a committee
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. board — to get on
  19. file — a line of people
  20. fall — the season
  21. file — a document
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mine — for digging
  24. cabinet — ministers

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