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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 have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. capital — money
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. file — a document
  6. capital — a city
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. plane — a tool
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. chip — to eat
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. snap — to click
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. file — a tool
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. chip — for betting
  23. fork — in a road
  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