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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 120 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: file · spring · dip · sharp · stock · clip · kick · drill

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. clip — to cut
  3. spring — a coil
  4. drill — the tool
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. spring — of water
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. dip — to sink
  10. spring — the season
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. stock — shares
  14. file — a document
  15. drill — army training
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — clever
  19. clip — for paper
  20. stock — goods
  21. file — a line of people
  22. clip — a video
  23. drill — a practice
  24. file — a tool

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