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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 124 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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fork — in a road
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. field — farmland
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. last — finally
  7. chair — a leader
  8. squash — to crush
  9. craft — boats
  10. field — a subject
  11. chip — for betting
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. field — for sport
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. squash — the sport
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. last — final
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. last — to go on
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. craft — a skill

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