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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: fork · kick · game · suit · file · rush · sharp · branch

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. file — a line of people
  3. sharp — clever
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. file — a document
  6. game — wild animals
  7. file — a tool
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — in a road
  14. game — a match
  15. kick — in football
  16. suit — clothes
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. suit — to fit
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. suit — in cards
  24. branch — a division

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