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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. game — wild animals
  3. date — the fruit
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. fork — in a road
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. field — a subject
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. field — for sport
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fine — all right
  19. game — a match
  20. row — a line
  21. fine — high quality
  22. field — farmland
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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