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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. spring — a coil
  6. fine — all right
  7. file — a document
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fork — in a road
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — from a university
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. degree — an amount
  19. file — a line of people
  20. fine — high quality
  21. spring — the season
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. spring — of water
  24. chip — for betting

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