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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. field — for sport
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. season — in sport
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. field — a subject
  11. bound — certain
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fork — in a road
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. season — of the year
  17. race — a contest
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — tied together
  20. race — humankind
  21. fine — high quality
  22. race — the arms race
  23. fine — all right
  24. field — farmland

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