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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. last — final
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — to wash
  5. last — finally
  6. squash — the sport
  7. can — a tin
  8. file — a line of people
  9. season — of the year
  10. plane — a tool
  11. last — to go on
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. season — in sport
  18. squash — to crush
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. file — a tool
  21. shower — rain
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. plane — in geometry

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