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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: cap · file · saw · wound · fork · march · snap · content

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. content — the amount
  5. saw — the tool
  6. march — the month
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cap — of ice
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. file — a document
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. file — a line of people
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. cap — a hat
  17. march — music
  18. content — happy
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cap — a lid
  21. march — the month
  22. snap — to click
  23. wound — an injury
  24. file — a tool

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