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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.

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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: content · firm · stick · file · mate · snap · squash · sharp

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. file — a line of people
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. squash — to crush
  5. snap — to click
  6. file — a document
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. file — a tool
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. content — happy
  11. mate — to breed
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. mate — a friend
  14. sharp — clever
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. firm — steady
  17. content — the amount
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. squash — the sport
  20. firm — decided
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. mate — a partner
  24. squash — the vegetable

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