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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. cue — for pool
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. drill — army training
  8. file — a line of people
  9. stock — shares
  10. cue — a signal
  11. file — a tool
  12. ground — the earth
  13. file — a document
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — goods
  16. ground — crushed
  17. drill — a practice
  18. cell — in biology
  19. bat — the animal
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. ground — a position
  22. cell — a phone
  23. drill — the tool
  24. cue — a hint

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