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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: saw · sharp · spell · firm · cell · cap · file · fine

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — all right
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. spell — letters
  6. file — a tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cap — a lid
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. firm — steady
  11. file — a document
  12. cell — a phone
  13. firm — decided
  14. cap — a hat
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cell — in biology
  18. file — a line of people
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. spell — magic
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. spell — a short time
  24. sharp — clever

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