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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. object — a thing
  5. file — a tool
  6. object — to protest
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. mark — a grade
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. game — wild animals
  13. file — a document
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. file — a line of people
  16. mark — a trace
  17. game — a match
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. fork — in a road
  20. pitch — completely
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. racket — for tennis

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