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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: club · suit · sharp · fork · spell · pound · lash · file

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. pound — a weight
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. suit — to fit
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. club — for golf
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. spell — magic
  9. fork — in a road
  10. spell — letters
  11. suit — in cards
  12. sharp — clever
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. spell — a short time
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. suit — clothes
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. club — a group
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. file — a tool
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. file — a document
  24. club — for dancing

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