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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. last — to go on
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. fork — in a road
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. field — for sport
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bass — low music
  16. last — finally
  17. march — the month
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — farmland
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. last — final
  22. march — the month
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. march — music

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