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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. key — for a lock
  3. prune — to trim
  4. last — final
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. present — there
  8. current — electric
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — of water
  11. field — a subject
  12. degree — an amount
  13. present — the time now
  14. prune — to trim
  15. degree — temperature
  16. key — the most important part
  17. field — farmland
  18. key — in music
  19. last — to go on
  20. present — a gift
  21. last — finally
  22. field — for sport
  23. degree — from a university
  24. fork — to eat with

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