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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. craft — a skill
  4. field — a subject
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. scale — size or range
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. craft — boats
  11. suit — clothes
  12. mug — a face
  13. scale — in music
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. field — farmland
  16. suit — in cards
  17. mug — to rob
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. suit — to fit
  20. mug — a cup
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. craft — a handicraft

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