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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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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: wake · sharp · firm · leaves · ball · bat · pop · file

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. file — a document
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. firm — steady
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. firm — decided
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. pop — to visit
  11. sharp — clever
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. file — a tool
  14. bat — the animal
  15. ball — a great time
  16. firm — a company
  17. pop — soda
  18. wake — a trail
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. pop — music
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. file — a line of people
  24. ball — a dance

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