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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 120 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: firm · fork · cold · dip · file · leaves · board · racket

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. board — to get on
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. firm — decided
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. cold — an illness
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. firm — steady
  13. file — a document
  14. fork — in a road
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. file — a tool
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. board — a committee
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. file — a line of people
  22. dip — to sink
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. cold — not warm

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