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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 116 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: cold · fork · mate · saw · file · ball · bowl · staff

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. ball — a dance
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. file — a document
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. staff — a stick
  11. ball — a great time
  12. mate — a partner
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. staff — employees
  18. mate — a friend
  19. fork — in a road
  20. cold — an illness
  21. file — a tool
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. staff — employees
  24. saw — the 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