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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. pop — to visit
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — a friend
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — what's left
  8. file — a tool
  9. prune — to trim
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. file — a document
  14. pop — soda
  15. pop — music
  16. mate — to breed
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. rest — a break
  21. fork — in a road
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. prune — to trim

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