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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 120 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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. rash — a series
  3. cue — a signal
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. file — a line of people
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. fork — in a road
  8. file — a document
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. file — a tool
  12. staff — employees
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. cue — for pool
  16. rash — hasty
  17. staff — employees
  18. cue — a hint

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