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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. suit — in cards
  3. stem — to come from
  4. hand — help
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. suit — to fit
  9. land — a country
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. fork — in a road
  13. rush — hurry
  14. land — ground
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. pitch — completely
  17. file — a line of people
  18. land — to come down
  19. suit — clothes
  20. hand — in cards
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. file — a tool
  24. hand — part of the body

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