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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. mug — to rob
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a line of people
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. file — a document
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. sharp — clever
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. ground — crushed
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mug — a face
  20. ground — the earth
  21. fork — in a road
  22. mug — a cup
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. date — the fruit

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