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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. pass — a permit
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a tool
  9. can — a tin
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. content — happy
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. land — ground
  14. content — the amount
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bore — to drill
  18. file — a line of people
  19. land — to come down
  20. bore — to tire
  21. fork — in a road
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. fall — to drop
  24. land — a country

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