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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 124 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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. file — a line of people
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. last — final
  6. game — wild animals
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fork — in a road
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. last — to go on
  11. mate — a friend
  12. game — a match
  13. file — a tool
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. last — finally
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. mate — to breed
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. mate — a partner
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. file — a document
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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