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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. court — for sport
  3. last — finally
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. last — final
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. chip — for betting
  8. last — to go on
  9. file — a document
  10. saw — the tool
  11. court — of a king
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. file — a line of people
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. court — of law
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bass — low music
  22. chip — to eat
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — clever

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