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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.

Make a worksheet

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: cabinet · last · file · bark · sharp · bowl · rest · key

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. last — final
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. rest — a break
  7. bark — to shout
  8. last — finally
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. file — a document
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. key — in music
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — for a lock
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. sharp — clever
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a line of people
  24. last — to go on

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