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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. track — to keep track
  3. file — a tool
  4. rest — a break
  5. swing — in golf
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. plane — a tool
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. fork — in a road
  10. pit — in a race
  11. track — a song
  12. track — a path
  13. file — a document
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. rest — what's left
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. pit — a hole
  19. file — a line of people
  20. rest — what's left
  21. swing — music
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. swing — to play on
  24. fan — to cool the air

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