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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 120 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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. drill — a practice
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. fork — in a road
  5. field — farmland
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. field — for sport
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. capital — a city
  12. field — a subject
  13. mug — to rob
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. capital — money
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — army training
  19. mug — a face
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mug — a cup
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — for measuring

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