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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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. fine — all right
  4. mine — for digging
  5. file — a document
  6. bank — for money
  7. pitch — completely
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. bank — of a river
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. bank — for money
  17. file — a line of people
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. band — a music group
  22. fork — in a road
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. pitch — a sports field

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