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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. file — a tool
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. spell — magic
  8. spring — of water
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. spell — a short time
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. spring — the season
  14. file — a line of people
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. row — to paddle
  17. sharp — clever
  18. row — a line
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. file — a document
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spell — letters
  24. stand — to bear

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