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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. field — farmland
  4. press — newspapers
  5. track — a song
  6. roll — a list
  7. cap — a hat
  8. press — to push
  9. roll — a cake
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. cap — of ice
  12. field — for sport
  13. perch — the fish
  14. track — to keep track
  15. press — a publisher
  16. field — a subject
  17. race — humankind
  18. cap — a lid
  19. track — a path
  20. race — the arms race
  21. fork — in a road
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. perch — for a bird

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