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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.

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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: suit · bowl · clip · last · fork · field · lie · toast

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. clip — to cut
  5. suit — clothes
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. last — to go on
  8. field — for sport
  9. lie — to recline
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. clip — for paper
  12. last — final
  13. suit — to fit
  14. suit — in cards
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. last — finally
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. toast — bread
  20. field — a subject
  21. fork — in a road
  22. clip — a video
  23. field — farmland
  24. lie — an untruth

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