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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: pop · fork · chair · key · sharp · lean · season · file

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. key — in music
  5. file — a tool
  6. pop — music
  7. key — for a lock
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. pop — to visit
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. lean — thin
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. pop — soda
  14. chair — a leader
  15. season — in sport
  16. lean — to bend
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. file — a line of people
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. file — a document
  22. fork — in a road
  23. key — the most important part
  24. season — of the year

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