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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. file — a document
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. file — a tool
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. band — a ring
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. lie — to recline
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. cell — in biology
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. band — a music group
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. file — a line of people

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