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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. field — farmland
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fork — in a road
  6. field — for sport
  7. mine — for digging
  8. capital — money
  9. rash — hasty
  10. capital — a city
  11. rock — music
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. rash — a series
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. field — a subject
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rock — a stone
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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