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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 116 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. hand — help
  3. fork — in a road
  4. hand — in cards
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. prune — to trim
  8. field — farmland
  9. current — happening now
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. prune — to trim
  14. current — of water
  15. season — of the year
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stand — to bear
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. field — for sport
  21. current — electric
  22. field — a subject
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. sharp — with an edge

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