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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
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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: clip · fork · ball · coach · lie · field · present · firm

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. field — a subject
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. firm — a company
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. ball — a great time
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. fork — in a road
  9. firm — decided
  10. present — a gift
  11. lie — to recline
  12. firm — steady
  13. field — for sport
  14. clip — for paper
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. clip — a video
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. clip — to cut
  21. present — there
  22. field — farmland
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. ball — a dance

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