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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
468
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: kick · file · rock · capital · saw · sharp · clip · prune

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. kick — in football
  6. prune — to trim
  7. clip — to cut
  8. prune — to trim
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. sharp — clever
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. file — a tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. file — a document
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. rock — a stone
  18. clip — for paper
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. clip — a video
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. capital — a city
  23. file — a line of people
  24. capital — money

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