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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.

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: field · scale · jam · fork · face · race · date · spell

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. race — a contest
  3. fork — in a road
  4. field — a subject
  5. scale — in music
  6. spell — magic
  7. face — to confront
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — size or range
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. race — humankind
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. face — to point toward
  15. field — for sport
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. spell — letters
  18. field — farmland
  19. date — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. face — part of the head
  22. spell — a short time
  23. race — the arms race
  24. fork — a garden tool

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