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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — finally
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. file — a tool
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. stem — to come from
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. pass — a permit
  16. land — a country
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. last — final
  20. land — ground
  21. file — a document
  22. land — to come down
  23. fork — in a road
  24. coach — a trainer

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