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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 120 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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. rule — government
  3. field — for sport
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. rule — a law
  9. field — farmland
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bound — certain
  14. bass — the fish
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. field — a subject
  17. hand — help
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. hand — in cards
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. bound — obliged
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bass — low music
  24. bound — tied together

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