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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. fork — in a road
  3. field — for sport
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. field — farmland
  6. game — wild animals
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. game — a match
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. branch — a division
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. cell — a phone
  16. march — the month
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. march — music
  19. dip — to sink
  20. march — the month
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. cell — in biology
  24. game — a kind of play

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