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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: stick · file · lean · pitcher · net · roll · firm · fork

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. fork — in a road
  4. roll — a list
  5. file — a tool
  6. firm — decided
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — for catching
  12. file — a line of people
  13. roll — a cake
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. lean — thin
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. file — a document
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. firm — a company
  21. net — after costs
  22. firm — steady
  23. lean — to bend
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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