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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: capital · wake · lash · lie · sharp · saw · charge · file

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a line of people
  5. charge — a price
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. file — a document
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. charge — electricity
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. saw — the tool
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. charge — in control
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lie — to recline
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. capital — a city
  24. saw — the tool

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