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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: key · toast · file · saw · game · shower · squash · fork

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. key — in music
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. squash — the sport
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. file — a tool
  7. fork — in a road
  8. saw — the tool
  9. shower — to wash
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. shower — rain
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. key — for a lock
  14. toast — bread
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. key — the most important part
  18. squash — to crush
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a line of people
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. game — a match
  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