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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. file — a document
  4. bank — of a river
  5. club — for dancing
  6. bank — for money
  7. pound — a weight
  8. club — for golf
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. last — finally
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. sharp — clever
  15. file — a line of people
  16. last — final
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bank — for money
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. club — a group
  24. file — a tool

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