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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: season · sharp · wound · pass · rule · file · club · saw

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rule — a law
  7. file — a tool
  8. rule — government
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. season — of the year
  13. file — a line of people
  14. pass — a permit
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. club — a group
  17. file — a document
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. club — for dancing
  22. season — in sport
  23. club — for golf
  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