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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. file — a tool
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. bank — for money
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. file — a line of people
  11. board — a committee
  12. bank — for money
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. row — a line
  15. sharp — clever
  16. board — to get on
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. bank — of a river
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. file — a document
  24. row — to paddle

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