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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 120 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. file — a tool
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. sharp — clever
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. plane — a tool
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. fall — the season
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. object — a thing
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. file — a line of people
  18. object — an aim
  19. object — to protest
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. wake — a trail
  24. file — a document

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