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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: kick · mark · sharp · squash · stand · craft · band · file

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. mark — a trace
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — to crush
  6. stand — to bear
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — clever
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. craft — boats
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. file — a tool
  15. band — a music group
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. file — a document
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. craft — a skill
  20. kick — in football
  21. file — a line of people
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. mark — a grade
  24. band — a ring

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