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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a tool
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bound — tied together
  5. file — a document
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — certain
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fork — in a road
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a match
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bat — the animal
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. squash — to crush
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — to play on

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