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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. field — a subject
  3. race — humankind
  4. scale — size or range
  5. field — farmland
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — magic
  9. file — a tool
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. bulb — for light
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. race — the arms race
  15. file — a line of people
  16. spell — a short time
  17. race — a contest
  18. bulb — for light
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. fork — in a road
  22. file — a document
  23. field — for sport
  24. scale — in music

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