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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fork — in a road
  3. saw — the tool
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. field — for sport
  6. suit — clothes
  7. stock — shares
  8. suit — to fit
  9. file — a document
  10. field — farmland
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. saw — the tool
  14. march — the month
  15. file — a line of people
  16. suit — in cards
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. stock — goods
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. file — a tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. march — music
  24. field — a subject

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