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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  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 — exactly
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — a tin
  4. charge — electricity
  5. file — a document
  6. charge — a price
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. race — the arms race
  11. season — in sport
  12. charge — in control
  13. file — a line of people
  14. craft — a skill
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. race — a contest
  19. craft — boats
  20. can — to be able to
  21. sharp — clever
  22. race — humankind
  23. season — of the year
  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