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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. last — finally
  3. file — a line of people
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. lean — to bend
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. lean — thin
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. stock — shares
  14. band — a music group
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. last — final
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. last — to go on
  19. kick — in football
  20. band — a ring
  21. file — a tool
  22. sharp — clever
  23. stock — goods
  24. file — a document

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