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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 116 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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. field — for sport
  3. clip — to cut
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bore — to tire
  6. board — a committee
  7. board — to get on
  8. content — happy
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — a video
  11. lean — to bend
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. field — a subject
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. field — farmland
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — for dancing
  19. lean — thin
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. club — a group
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. bore — to drill
  24. content — the amount

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