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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. sharp — clever
  4. present — a gift
  5. field — for sport
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. field — farmland
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. clip — a video
  12. present — the time now
  13. bore — to tire
  14. clip — for paper
  15. rule — government
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. field — a subject
  18. rule — a law
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. bore — to drill
  21. clip — to cut
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fork — in a road
  24. present — there

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