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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: game · pitcher · charge · dip · fork · field · can · nail

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. game — wild animals
  6. can — to be able to
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. dip — to sink
  10. can — a tin
  11. charge — in control
  12. fork — in a road
  13. field — farmland
  14. game — a match
  15. charge — a price
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. can — a tin
  18. field — a subject
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. field — for sport
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. charge — electricity

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