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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. last — to go on
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. track — a path
  6. last — final
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. track — to keep track
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. file — a document
  13. last — finally
  14. file — a line of people
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pound — a weight
  18. track — a song

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