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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. file — a document
  5. pitch — completely
  6. club — a group
  7. content — happy
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. mine — for digging
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. file — a tool
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. club — for dancing
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. club — for golf
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. content — the amount
  23. fall — the season
  24. file — a line of people

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