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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. land — to come down
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. land — a country
  5. fork — in a road
  6. firm — steady
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. ball — a dance
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. field — a subject
  13. present — a gift
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. firm — a company
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — for sport
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. present — the time now
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. present — there
  23. land — ground
  24. ball — a great time

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