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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 116 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: field · lie · fork · squash · court · board · cue · row

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. court — for sport
  3. lie — to recline
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. court — of law
  7. cue — for pool
  8. fork — in a road
  9. squash — to crush
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. squash — the sport
  12. court — of a king
  13. row — to paddle
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — farmland
  16. cue — a signal
  17. board — to get on
  18. row — a line
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. cue — a hint
  23. field — a subject
  24. board — a committee

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