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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 120 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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. season — of the year
  3. cue — a signal
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. rash — hasty
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. cue — for pool
  8. file — a document
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. cue — a hint
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. rash — a series
  13. file — a tool
  14. season — in sport
  15. cap — a lid
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. fork — in a road
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. file — a line of people
  20. snap — to click
  21. cap — of ice
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. cap — a hat
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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