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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: hand · file · deal · can · fork · field · fall · race

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. file — a document
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. deal — to handle
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. field — for sport
  9. fall — to drop
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — a tin
  12. file — a line of people
  13. hand — help
  14. can — to be able to
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. race — humankind
  17. field — farmland
  18. race — a contest
  19. fork — in a road
  20. hand — in cards
  21. fall — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. field — a subject
  24. file — a 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