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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  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. fine — a penalty
  3. fine — all right
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. tear — to rip
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a document
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. kid — child
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. tear — from crying
  19. kid — to tease
  20. fine — high quality
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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