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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. wind — moving air
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. row — a line
  5. drill — army training
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — for sport
  8. can — a tin
  9. row — to paddle
  10. field — farmland
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fine — all right
  14. drill — the tool
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. can — a tin
  17. drill — a practice
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. fine — high quality
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. wind — moving air
  24. can — to be able to

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