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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. last — finally
  4. net — in sport
  5. chip — to eat
  6. file — a document
  7. face — part of the head
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. face — to confront
  10. chip — for betting
  11. last — final
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. last — to go on
  14. net — after costs
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. file — a tool
  20. net — for catching
  21. fork — in a road
  22. file — a line of people
  23. face — to point toward
  24. fan — to cool the air

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