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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. sharp — clever
  3. wake — a trail
  4. lean — to bend
  5. object — a thing
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. file — a document
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. last — to go on
  11. file — a line of people
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. file — a tool
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. last — final
  19. lean — thin
  20. object — an aim
  21. object — to protest
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. last — finally
  24. sharp — with an edge

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