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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: sharp · file · hide · staff · can · capital · rock · scale

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. staff — a stick
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — in music
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. file — a tool
  11. capital — a city
  12. can — to be able to
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. file — a document
  15. staff — employees
  16. can — a tin
  17. rock — a stone
  18. staff — employees
  19. file — a line of people
  20. rock — music
  21. scale — size or range
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. sharp — clever
  24. can — a tin

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