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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. file — a document
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. spell — magic
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. spell — letters
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. file — a line of people
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. fork — in a road
  15. spell — a short time
  16. file — a tool
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. coach — a trainer

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