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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. field — farmland
  3. court — of a king
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. court — for sport
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. charge — a price
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. sharp — clever
  12. charge — in control
  13. charge — electricity
  14. can — a tin
  15. field — a subject
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. can — a tin
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. court — of law
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. field — for sport
  23. can — to be able to
  24. fork — in a road

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