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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.

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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a line of people
  4. ground — crushed
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — clever
  7. rash — hasty
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. ground — the earth
  17. file — a tool
  18. rash — a series

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