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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. field — farmland
  4. club — for dancing
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. field — a subject
  7. object — to protest
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. object — a thing
  11. pit — a hole
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. object — an aim
  15. content — happy
  16. drill — army training
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. drill — the tool
  19. fork — in a road
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. pit — in a race
  22. club — a group
  23. club — for golf
  24. field — for sport

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