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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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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: mate · calf · field · stick · sharp · deal · fork · race

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. field — farmland
  4. race — a contest
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. deal — to handle
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. sharp — clever
  10. race — humankind
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. mate — to breed
  13. field — for sport
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. field — a subject
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. fork — in a road
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. race — the arms race
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mate — a partner
  24. sharp — exactly

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