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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. fork — in a road
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. file — a line of people
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. file — a tool
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. kid — child
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — a tool
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. staff — employees
  24. file — a document

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