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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. field — for sport
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — a position
  5. content — happy
  6. field — a subject
  7. present — there
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. content — the amount
  10. present — the time now
  11. present — a gift
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. field — farmland
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. chip — for betting
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. chip — to eat
  21. fork — in a road
  22. ground — crushed
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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