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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  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. object — a thing
  2. field — for sport
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. fork — in a road
  5. staff — employees
  6. field — farmland
  7. ground — crushed
  8. prune — to trim
  9. object — an aim
  10. staff — a stick
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. object — to protest
  13. ground — a position
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. net — for catching
  16. prune — to trim
  17. field — a subject
  18. ground — the earth
  19. staff — employees
  20. pitch — completely
  21. net — after costs
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. net — in sport
  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