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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 120 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: fork · object · racket · cell · track · lean · rush · file

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. rush — hurry
  3. object — a thing
  4. cell — in biology
  5. track — a song
  6. lean — to bend
  7. cell — a phone
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. file — a document
  10. object — an aim
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. object — to protest
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. lean — thin
  16. file — a tool
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. fork — in a road
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. file — a line of people
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. fork — a garden 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