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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. file — a document
  3. fork — in a road
  4. firm — decided
  5. file — a line of people
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — of water
  8. chest — a box
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. snap — to click
  11. cue — for pool
  12. file — a tool
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. firm — steady
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. spring — the season
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. date — the fruit
  21. cue — a signal
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. firm — a company
  24. date — on the calendar

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