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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: fork · bore · rash · file · face · stick · squash · key

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. file — a line of people
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. rash — hasty
  6. file — a tool
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. rash — a series
  9. face — to confront
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — to crush
  13. key — the most important part
  14. face — part of the head
  15. key — in music
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. fork — in a road
  19. bore — to drill
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. bore — to tire
  24. file — a document

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