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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. file — a tool
  3. cue — a signal
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — a position
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cue — for pool
  9. fall — the season
  10. ground — the earth
  11. cue — a hint
  12. chair — a leader
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. file — a document
  15. fork — in a road
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. file — a line of people

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