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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 124 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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. sharp — clever
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. file — a document
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. scale — in music
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. lie — to recline
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. fork — in a road
  17. board — a committee
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. board — to get on
  20. file — a tool
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. scale — size or range
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. pitcher — a jug

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