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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. ground — the earth
  3. rock — music
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. fork — in a road
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bound — obliged
  12. ground — a position
  13. file — a document
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bound — tied together
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. rock — a stone
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. bark — to shout
  21. fine — all right
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. bound — certain
  24. fine — high quality

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