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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. fork — in a road
  3. field — a subject
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — a trail
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mug — a cup
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. mug — a face
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bat — the animal
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. field — farmland
  20. fine — all right
  21. mug — to rob
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. fork — a garden tool

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