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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. file — a document
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. track — a path
  5. track — to keep track
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. cap — a lid
  8. game — wild animals
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. bore — to drill
  11. cap — of ice
  12. stem — to come from
  13. mark — a trace
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. cap — a hat
  16. game — a match
  17. file — a line of people
  18. track — a song
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. mark — a grade
  21. bore — to tire
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. fork — in a road
  24. file — a tool

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