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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  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 document
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. file — a tool
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. sharp — clever
  10. wake — a trail
  11. chip — for betting
  12. vault — a safe
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. chip — to eat
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. wound — an injury
  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