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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. file — a document
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. wind — moving air
  6. track — to keep track
  7. sharp — clever
  8. track — a song
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. track — a path
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — a series
  15. drill — a practice
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. file — a tool
  19. drill — army training
  20. bat — the animal
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. file — a line of people
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. sharp — exactly

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