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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: stand · fan · bay · nail · sharp · file · rest · net

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. net — after costs
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. net — for catching
  9. file — a line of people
  10. net — in sport
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. sharp — clever
  14. stand — to bear
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. rest — what's left
  17. file — a tool
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rest — what's left
  22. file — a document
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. rest — a break

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