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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. file — a tool
  3. swing — to play on
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. file — a line of people
  10. mug — a cup
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a city
  14. fork — in a road
  15. stock — shares
  16. mug — to rob
  17. swing — in golf
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. mug — a face
  21. stock — goods
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. swing — music
  24. plane — 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