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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 had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — farmland
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. drill — the tool
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a lid
  14. drill — army training
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. craft — boats
  20. field — for sport
  21. craft — a skill
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cap — a hat
  24. bear — to put up 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