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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. stem — to come from
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. fine — all right
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. toast — bread
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. file — a tool
  11. fall — to drop
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. fall — the season
  15. file — a line of people
  16. fall — to drop
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. fork — in a road
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. fine — high quality
  23. capital — a city
  24. fine — a penalty

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