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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: last · deal · field · mouse · pop · fork · drill · chair

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. last — to go on
  3. pop — to visit
  4. field — a subject
  5. drill — a practice
  6. pop — music
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. chair — a leader
  14. drill — the tool
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. last — finally
  17. last — final
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. field — for sport
  20. drill — army training
  21. deal — to handle
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. pop — soda
  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