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

Word bank: fork · field · mate · file · rest · chip · ruler · straw

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. file — a tool
  5. rest — what's left
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. field — a subject
  8. chip — to eat
  9. rest — what's left
  10. file — a document
  11. fork — in a road
  12. mate — a friend
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. field — for sport
  15. mate — to breed
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. mate — a partner
  18. rest — a break
  19. file — a line of people
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. field — farmland
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — in a computer

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