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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 · staff · deal · ball · season · cell · file · nail

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. ball — a dance
  3. cell — in biology
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. staff — employees
  7. season — in sport
  8. file — a line of people
  9. cell — a phone
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. ball — a great time
  12. fork — in a road
  13. season — of the year
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. staff — a stick
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. staff — employees
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. file — a document
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. deal — to handle
  24. deal — a big deal

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