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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. fork — in a road
  3. stand — to bear
  4. field — for sport
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. cell — in biology
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. cell — a phone
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. field — a subject
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. mine — for digging
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. key — for a lock
  19. field — farmland
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. key — the most important part
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. key — in music

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