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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.

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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. present — the time now
  3. file — a document
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. present — a gift
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. file — a tool
  9. fork — in a road
  10. court — of law
  11. court — of a king
  12. spring — a coil
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. season — of the year
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. spring — of water
  21. season — in sport
  22. court — for sport
  23. file — a line of people
  24. spring — the season

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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