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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. rash — a series
  3. shower — to wash
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. present — the time now
  6. present — there
  7. prune — to trim
  8. field — a subject
  9. fine — all right
  10. rest — a break
  11. present — a gift
  12. prune — to trim
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. rest — what's left
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. field — for sport
  19. fork — in a road
  20. field — farmland
  21. rash — hasty
  22. fine — high quality
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rash — on the skin

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