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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. file — a line of people
  3. present — a gift
  4. court — of law
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. present — the time now
  8. file — a tool
  9. court — of a king
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. drill — army training
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. pit — in a race
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. present — there
  17. court — for sport
  18. pit — a hole
  19. drill — the tool
  20. fork — in a road
  21. drill — a practice
  22. date — the fruit
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. file — a document

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