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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pop · fork · field · squash · clip · suit · sharp · snap

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. pop — soda
  5. clip — for paper
  6. fork — in a road
  7. sharp — clever
  8. field — a subject
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. field — for sport
  11. clip — a video
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. suit — clothes
  14. squash — to crush
  15. snap — to click
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. clip — to cut
  18. suit — in cards
  19. pop — to visit
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. suit — to fit
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. field — farmland

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