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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. craft — boats
  3. field — for sport
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. fork — in a road
  6. field — a subject
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. field — farmland
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. craft — a skill
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. shower — rain
  17. mark — a trace
  18. vault — a safe
  19. mark — a grade
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. shower — to wash
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. craft — a handicraft

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