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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 116 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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. can — a tin
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. can — a tin
  6. club — for dancing
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cell — in biology
  9. club — a group
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. file — a line of people
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. sharp — clever
  18. club — for golf
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. can — to be able to
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. file — a tool
  23. wake — a trail
  24. cell — a phone

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