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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. ground — the earth
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. ground — a position
  5. bank — for money
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. ground — crushed
  10. file — a line of people
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a tool
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — of a river

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