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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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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: snap · plane · chip · field · march · firm · fork · content

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. firm — steady
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. field — for sport
  6. firm — decided
  7. chip — to eat
  8. plane — a tool
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. content — happy
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. content — the amount
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. field — a subject
  16. snap — to click
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. field — farmland
  19. firm — a company
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. chip — for betting
  24. march — music

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