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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: season · file · saw · face · ground · drill · pass · fork

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. ground — crushed
  4. saw — the tool
  5. file — a line of people
  6. drill — a practice
  7. ground — a position
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — army training
  10. fork — in a road
  11. saw — the tool
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. pass — a permit
  14. file — a tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. season — of the year
  17. face — to point toward
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. face — part of the head
  20. season — in sport
  21. file — a document
  22. ground — the earth
  23. face — to confront
  24. pass — to spend time

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