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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: file · sharp · spell · shower · calf · tear · fine · pop

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  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. pop — soda
  2. tear — to rip
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. fine — high quality
  5. file — a line of people
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. fine — all right
  8. pop — music
  9. sharp — clever
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. shower — to wash
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — letters
  14. file — a document
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — from crying
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. spell — a short time
  22. pop — to visit
  23. shower — rain
  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