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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · ruler · file · race · fan · fork · rock · content

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. file — a tool
  3. kid — to tease
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. file — a document
  6. content — happy
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. kid — child
  9. rock — a stone
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. file — a line of people
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. race — humankind
  14. race — the arms race
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. fork — in a road
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rock — music
  20. content — the amount
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. race — a contest
  24. ruler — for measuring

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