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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. drill — the tool
  4. field — for sport
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. court — of law
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. court — of a king
  10. branch — a division
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. drill — army training
  13. field — a subject
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — to play on
  18. bat — the animal
  19. court — for sport
  20. swing — music
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. field — farmland
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. branch — of a tree

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