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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: bat · rush · ground · sharp · chest · file · dip · track

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. chest — a box
  3. sharp — clever
  4. file — a document
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. ground — a position
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. file — a line of people
  10. track — a song
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — crushed
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. track — a path
  15. rush — hurry
  16. track — to keep track
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bat — the animal
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. chest — of your body
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. file — a 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