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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: vault · deal · file · straw · foot · date · fork · patient

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. file — a document
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. file — a line of people
  9. foot — a measure
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. date — the fruit
  12. file — a tool
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. vault — a safe
  22. deal — to handle
  23. fork — in a road
  24. patient — a sick person

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