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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  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. bowl — a dish
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. file — a line of people
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — in a road
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. firm — a company
  10. mate — to breed
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mate — a friend
  16. firm — decided
  17. file — a document
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. dip — to sink
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. firm — steady
  23. file — a tool
  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