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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. race — the arms race
  5. file — a tool
  6. game — a match
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. cue — a hint
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a line of people
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — humankind
  14. game — wild animals
  15. cue — a signal
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. cue — for pool
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. fork — in a road
  24. kick — in football

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