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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 120 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. drill — a practice
  3. fork — in a road
  4. file — a line of people
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — in music
  7. drill — army training
  8. key — the most important part
  9. file — a document
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. net — after costs
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. wax — to grow
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. net — for catching
  23. drill — the tool
  24. file — a tool

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