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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 116 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: cue · sharp · file · lie · stick · fork · cold · can

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a tool
  3. sharp — clever
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. can — a tin
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cold — not warm
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. can — to be able to
  12. cold — an illness
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cue — for pool
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. lie — to recline
  17. cue — a signal
  18. file — a document
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. cue — a hint
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. fork — in a road
  23. can — a tin
  24. sharp — with an edge

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