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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. fork — in a road
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. mate — to breed
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. content — the amount
  9. field — for sport
  10. rock — a stone
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. mate — a partner
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. field — farmland
  17. season — of the year
  18. content — happy
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. season — in sport
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. field — a subject
  24. rock — music

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