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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.

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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 · bank · field · face · cue · row · snap · content

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. fork — in a road
  3. face — to confront
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. row — a line
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. bank — for money
  8. field — for sport
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. row — to paddle
  11. field — farmland
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — of a river
  14. cue — a hint
  15. content — the amount
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. cue — for pool
  18. content — happy
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — part of the head
  23. field — a subject
  24. snap — to click

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