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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. file — a line of people
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. field — for sport
  6. present — a gift
  7. field — farmland
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. file — a document
  12. game — a match
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bark — to shout
  15. present — there
  16. lean — to bend
  17. present — the time now
  18. lean — thin
  19. file — a tool
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. game — wild animals
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. field — a subject

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