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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: craft · fork · mark · fine · racket · field

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. field — a subject
  6. fine — all right
  7. fork — in a road
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — boats
  11. field — farmland
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. mark — a grade
  14. craft — a skill
  15. field — for sport
  16. fine — high quality
  17. mark — a trace
  18. racket — for tennis

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