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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 124 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. field — for sport
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. current — electric
  8. fork — in a road
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. net — for catching
  13. current — happening now
  14. spell — magic
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. chip — for betting
  18. prune — to trim
  19. current — of water
  20. chip — to eat
  21. field — a subject
  22. spell — letters
  23. spell — a short time
  24. chip — in a computer

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