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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. board — to get on
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a partner
  7. field — a subject
  8. wound — an injury
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. root — of a plant
  11. board — a committee
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. mate — a friend
  16. pit — in a race
  17. root — of a word
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. root — the cause
  22. pound — a weight
  23. fork — in a road
  24. pit — a hole

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