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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: pit · root · cold · hide · file · present · kid · fork

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. file — a line of people
  4. kid — child
  5. file — a tool
  6. cold — an illness
  7. kid — to tease
  8. root — of a word
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. file — a document
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. cold — not warm
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. root — the cause
  16. present — the time now
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. root — of a plant
  19. pit — a hole
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. pit — in a race
  22. present — there
  23. fork — in a road
  24. present — a gift

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