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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. object — a thing
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bass — low music
  7. object — an aim
  8. sharp — clever
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. file — a tool
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bass — the fish
  13. file — a line of people
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. plane — a tool
  17. bear — the animal
  18. object — to protest
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bear — the animal
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. plane — in geometry

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