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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. charge — in control
  5. bat — the animal
  6. field — a subject
  7. land — a country
  8. field — farmland
  9. pit — a hole
  10. land — ground
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. charge — a price
  16. land — to come down
  17. ball — a dance
  18. pit — in a race
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. field — for sport
  22. fork — in a road
  23. charge — electricity
  24. calf — a young animal

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