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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: bay · fork · rule · content · arm · hide · file · ground

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. file — a tool
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. ground — crushed
  8. rule — government
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. rule — a law
  11. ground — the earth
  12. content — the amount
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. ground — a position
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. file — a line of people
  17. content — happy
  18. file — a document
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. rule — to rule out

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