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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: sharp · rash · bound · spell · board · last · file · ground

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. sharp — clever
  3. ground — the earth
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. ground — crushed
  8. rash — hasty
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. last — final
  11. file — a document
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — a short time
  14. last — finally
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bound — obliged
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. board — to get on
  19. bound — certain
  20. rash — a series
  21. spell — letters
  22. bound — tied together
  23. board — a committee
  24. last — to go on

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