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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: foot · spell · firm · snap · sharp · file

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. firm — a company
  4. file — a document
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — letters
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. firm — decided
  9. sharp — clever
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. spell — magic
  12. file — a line of people
  13. snap — to click
  14. firm — steady
  15. foot — a measure
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. file — a tool

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