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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. field — farmland
  3. swing — to play on
  4. face — to confront
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bear — the animal
  8. spell — letters
  9. cap — of ice
  10. swing — music
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. spell — magic
  13. bear — the animal
  14. field — for sport
  15. cap — a lid
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. face — to point toward
  18. cap — a hat
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. field — a subject
  22. swing — in golf
  23. spell — a short time
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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