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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 124 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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. spell — a short time
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. spell — magic
  9. mine — for digging
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. deal — to handle
  12. file — a line of people
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to click
  17. file — a document
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bulb — for light
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — clever
  24. spell — letters

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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