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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: file · hand · sharp · ball · fan · lash · wind · content

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. wind — moving air
  6. sharp — clever
  7. content — the amount
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. ball — a great time
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a line of people
  14. ball — a dance
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. wind — moving air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. hand — in cards
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. file — a document
  23. hand — help
  24. content — happy

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