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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. fork — in a road
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. pound — a weight
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. game — a match
  11. field — for sport
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. present — the time now
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. present — there
  17. lie — to recline
  18. field — farmland
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. field — a subject
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. prune — to trim
  24. lie — an untruth

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