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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bank — of a river
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. pound — a weight
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mug — a face
  9. file — a line of people
  10. mug — a cup
  11. bank — for money
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a document
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. date — the fruit
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. mug — to rob
  20. sharp — clever
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bank — for money
  24. date — on the calendar

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