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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 120 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: last · field · fork · mug · club · sharp · scale · kid

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. scale — size or range
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. field — farmland
  5. scale — in music
  6. kid — to tease
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. club — a group
  9. mug — a face
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. field — for sport
  12. club — for dancing
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. last — final
  16. field — a subject
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mug — a cup
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — finally
  21. sharp — clever
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. fork — in a road
  24. kid — child

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