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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. file — a line of people
  4. hand — help
  5. fine — high quality
  6. bear — the animal
  7. sharp — clever
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. hand — in cards
  12. drill — the tool
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. file — a document
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bear — the animal
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. fine — all right
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. drill — army training
  22. file — a tool
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. drill — a practice

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