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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. race — humankind
  3. clip — for paper
  4. saw — the tool
  5. field — farmland
  6. clip — a video
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. degree — temperature
  9. clip — to cut
  10. degree — an amount
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. field — for sport
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. field — a subject
  15. degree — from a university
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. race — a contest
  18. fine — all right
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. stem — to come from
  22. race — the arms race
  23. fine — high quality
  24. saw — the tool

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