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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 walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. foot — a measure
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. date — the fruit
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. roll — a list
  9. stand — to bear
  10. club — for dancing
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. file — a tool
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. roll — a cake
  16. fork — in a road
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. club — a group
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. file — a document
  23. club — for golf
  24. prune — the fruit

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