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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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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: bay · racket · lash · sharp · bulb · file · last · pound

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. sharp — clever
  8. file — a document
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a tool
  13. bulb — for light
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. last — finally
  17. last — to go on
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pound — a weight
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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