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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. ball — a great time
  9. snap — to click
  10. ball — a dance
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. fine — all right
  14. sharp — clever
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. file — a document
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. file — a tool
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. fine — high quality

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