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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. field — for sport
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. fork — in a road
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. kid — child
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. field — farmland
  10. race — humankind
  11. field — a subject
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. suit — clothes
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. race — the arms race
  16. prune — to trim
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. race — a contest
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. prune — to trim
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. suit — to fit
  24. toast — bread

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