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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. field — for sport
  3. present — the time now
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. game — a match
  6. field — a subject
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. suit — to fit
  10. suit — in cards
  11. pit — in a race
  12. present — there
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. season — in sport
  15. fork — in a road
  16. field — farmland
  17. drill — a practice
  18. game — wild animals
  19. suit — clothes
  20. present — a gift
  21. season — of the year
  22. drill — army training
  23. pit — a hole
  24. fork — a garden tool

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