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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. hand — in cards
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. chip — to eat
  7. suit — to fit
  8. hand — help
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. file — a tool
  11. tear — to rip
  12. suit — clothes
  13. file — a document
  14. track — a path
  15. file — a line of people
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. chip — for betting
  19. suit — in cards
  20. track — to keep track
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. track — a song
  24. patient — a sick person

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