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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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468
Word bank
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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. file — a document
  3. fork — in a road
  4. drill — a practice
  5. snap — to click
  6. season — of the year
  7. key — in music
  8. drill — army training
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. drill — the tool
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. rock — music
  14. cell — in biology
  15. season — in sport
  16. file — a tool
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. key — the most important part
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. rock — a stone
  22. file — a line of people
  23. key — for a lock
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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