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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. file — a line of people
  4. field — farmland
  5. fall — the season
  6. pitch — completely
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cue — a signal
  9. field — for sport
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. sharp — clever
  12. cue — for pool
  13. bulb — for light
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. cue — a hint
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. fall — to drop
  22. field — a subject
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a tool

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