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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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Word bank
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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: content · toast · bat · fork · object · present · file · key

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. present — the time now
  3. toast — bread
  4. object — a thing
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — in music
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. object — to protest
  9. file — a document
  10. present — there
  11. file — a tool
  12. present — a gift
  13. object — an aim
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. file — a line of people
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. key — the most important part
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. content — the amount
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. bat — the animal
  22. content — happy
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — for baseball

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