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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 120 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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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: ground · club · sharp · face · wound · deal · file · rush

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. file — a line of people
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. club — a group
  8. rush — hurry
  9. deal — to handle
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. wound — an injury
  12. club — for dancing
  13. ground — a position
  14. wound — an injury
  15. club — for golf
  16. face — to point toward
  17. face — part of the head
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. ground — the earth
  20. face — to confront
  21. file — a tool
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. file — a document

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