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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: charge · jam · last · fork · file · bore · firm · wind

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. firm — steady
  3. last — to go on
  4. wind — moving air
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. last — final
  7. bore — to tire
  8. charge — a price
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. wind — moving air
  13. firm — a company
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. fork — in a road
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bore — to drill
  19. charge — in control
  20. file — a document
  21. charge — electricity
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a line of people
  24. last — finally

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