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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
468
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: rock · fork · spell · sharp · field · key · mate · straw

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. spell — letters
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. field — farmland
  5. key — the most important part
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. key — in music
  8. spell — a short time
  9. key — for a lock
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. rock — a stone
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. field — for sport
  14. spell — magic
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mate — to breed
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. field — a subject
  21. mate — a friend
  22. sharp — clever
  23. rock — music
  24. fork — in a road

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