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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. present — there
  4. spell — a short time
  5. degree — from a university
  6. fork — in a road
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. key — in music
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. file — a line of people
  11. spell — letters
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. spell — magic
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. key — for a lock
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. degree — temperature
  20. file — a tool
  21. present — a gift
  22. key — the most important part
  23. degree — an amount
  24. present — the time now

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