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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. ground — crushed
  3. cue — for pool
  4. fall — to drop
  5. ground — a position
  6. plane — a tool
  7. file — a line of people
  8. cue — a hint
  9. ground — the earth
  10. chair — a leader
  11. file — a document
  12. fall — the season
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. fall — to drop
  16. cue — a signal
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. key — in music
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. key — the most important part
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. key — for a lock
  24. fork — in a road

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