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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. file — a line of people
  3. land — a country
  4. fork — in a road
  5. rest — a break
  6. file — a document
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. land — ground
  9. file — a tool
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mug — to rob
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. mug — a face
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. pit — in a race
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. land — to come down
  22. mug — a cup
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. pit — a hole

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