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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. foot — a measure
  3. rest — a break
  4. present — a gift
  5. fork — in a road
  6. rest — what's left
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. file — a line of people
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. field — farmland
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. present — the time now
  15. field — for sport
  16. file — a tool
  17. field — a subject
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. dip — to sink
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. present — there
  24. rest — what's left

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