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

Word bank: fork · club · march · dip · field · perch · bear · race

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  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. race — humankind
  2. march — the month
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. bear — the animal
  5. field — farmland
  6. race — the arms race
  7. field — for sport
  8. dip — to sink
  9. march — music
  10. club — for golf
  11. fork — in a road
  12. race — a contest
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. march — the month
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bear — the animal
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. perch — the fish
  20. field — a subject
  21. club — a group
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. club — for dancing
  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