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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. fork — in a road
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. rush — hurry
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. craft — boats
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. field — a subject
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. pitch — completely
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. field — farmland
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. craft — a skill
  24. pitch — a sports field

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