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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. saw — the tool
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. file — a line of people
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. file — a tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. file — a document
  18. fork — in a road

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