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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: race · cabinet · perch · field · plane · cue · content · fork

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. cue — a hint
  6. field — farmland
  7. cue — a signal
  8. content — the amount
  9. perch — the fish
  10. race — a contest
  11. plane — a tool
  12. cue — for pool
  13. content — happy
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. fork — in a road
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. race — humankind
  21. field — a subject
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. race — the arms race
  24. cabinet — ministers

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