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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — for sport
  4. march — the month
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. rush — hurry
  7. march — the month
  8. field — a subject
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. march — music
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. kid — child
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. wake — a trail
  24. fork — in a road

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