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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. file — a tool
  3. file — a document
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. deal — to handle
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — in music
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. chair — a leader
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — after costs
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. file — a line of people
  24. key — the most important part

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