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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. net — in sport
  3. row — a line
  4. row — to paddle
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. face — to point toward
  7. net — for catching
  8. file — a tool
  9. vault — a safe
  10. face — part of the head
  11. chip — to eat
  12. face — to confront
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. file — a line of people
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. pound — a weight
  18. fork — in a road
  19. file — a document
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. net — after costs
  22. chip — for betting
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. row — a quarrel

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