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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. field — a subject
  4. roll — a list
  5. charge — in control
  6. roll — a cake
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. bear — the animal
  11. capital — money
  12. cue — for pool
  13. bear — the animal
  14. spell — magic
  15. fork — in a road
  16. field — farmland
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cue — a signal
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. spell — a short time
  21. charge — electricity
  22. charge — a price
  23. capital — a city
  24. spell — letters

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