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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 · file · pass · pitcher · fine · chest · saw · perch

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. saw — the tool
  3. chest — of your body
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. chest — of your body
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a tool
  12. chest — a box
  13. fork — in a road
  14. pass — a permit
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. fine — all right
  18. perch — the fish
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. fine — high quality
  24. file — a line of people

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