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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. content — happy
  5. fork — in a road
  6. present — a gift
  7. mug — a cup
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — a leader
  10. present — the time now
  11. mug — a face
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. prune — to trim
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. mug — to rob
  17. craft — a skill
  18. field — a subject
  19. present — there
  20. field — farmland
  21. content — the amount
  22. craft — boats
  23. prune — to trim
  24. fork — a garden tool

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