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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: rest · patient · saw · file · mark · sharp · ground · content

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. ground — a position
  5. file — a line of people
  6. rest — a break
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rest — what's left
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. saw — the tool
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. ground — crushed
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. sharp — clever
  16. mark — a trace
  17. content — happy
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rest — what's left
  20. file — a document
  21. ground — the earth
  22. file — a tool
  23. mark — a grade
  24. content — the amount

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