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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  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 — a garden tool
  2. present — there
  3. present — a gift
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. field — a subject
  6. snap — to click
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. fine — all right
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. present — the time now
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. fork — in a road
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. field — for sport
  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