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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  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. file — a tool
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. row — to paddle
  12. rest — what's left
  13. capital — a city
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. file — a document
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. plane — a tool
  18. capital — money
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. row — a line
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. branch — a division
  23. row — a quarrel
  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