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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
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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: track · trunk · file · clip · bank · sharp · pit · bowl

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. clip — for paper
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bank — for money
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. track — a path
  8. bank — of a river
  9. track — a song
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bank — for money
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. file — a tool
  14. clip — to cut
  15. pit — in a race
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. clip — a video
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. pit — a hole
  22. file — a document
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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