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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: fork · cue · lean · file · date · ground · hide · stick

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. file — a tool
  6. ground — the earth
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cue — for pool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. file — a document
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. date — the fruit
  14. fork — in a road
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. lean — thin
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. lean — to bend
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — crushed

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