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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  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. dip — to dunk
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — high quality
  5. rash — hasty
  6. dip — to sink
  7. file — a tool
  8. bank — for money
  9. sharp — clever
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bank — for money
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. bank — of a river
  14. staff — employees
  15. file — a document
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. staff — employees
  18. pound — a weight
  19. rash — a series
  20. file — a line of people
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. staff — a stick
  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