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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.

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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: pass · fork · cell · object · pitcher · ruler · dip · field

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. cell — in biology
  6. object — a thing
  7. fork — in a road
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pass — a permit
  11. object — to protest
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — farmland
  14. object — an aim
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. cell — a phone
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. dip — to sink
  24. pass — to spend time

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