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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · chest · sharp · content · current · file · calf · plane

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. current — electric
  4. file — a line of people
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — to cut
  7. chest — a box
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. current — happening now
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — clever
  13. content — the amount
  14. plane — a tool
  15. chest — of your body
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. file — a tool
  18. clip — for paper
  19. content — happy
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. chest — of your body
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. current — of water
  24. content — videos and posts

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