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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fall · fork · squash · last · land · file · suit · march

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. last — to go on
  4. land — to come down
  5. last — finally
  6. file — a line of people
  7. fall — to drop
  8. squash — the sport
  9. suit — in cards
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. file — a document
  14. fall — to drop
  15. squash — to crush
  16. land — a country
  17. suit — clothes
  18. land — ground
  19. file — a tool
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. suit — to fit
  23. fall — the season
  24. last — final

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