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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. land — to come down
  4. roll — a cake
  5. mark — a grade
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. staff — a stick
  8. field — farmland
  9. land — ground
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. capital — money
  13. staff — employees
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. capital — a city
  17. roll — a list
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. staff — employees
  20. land — a country
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. field — for sport
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — to pay attention

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