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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. file — a tool
  5. bound — certain
  6. file — a line of people
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bound — tied together
  10. mine — for digging
  11. can — to be able to
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. can — a tin
  14. bound — obliged
  15. club — for golf
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. file — a document
  18. can — a tin
  19. deal — to handle
  20. club — a group
  21. sharp — clever
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. club — for dancing
  24. wake — a trail

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