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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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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: club · squash · stick · fork · lash · press · file · sharp

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. file — a document
  4. press — to push
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. squash — to crush
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. file — a line of people
  10. club — for dancing
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. file — a tool
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. club — for golf
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. squash — the sport
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. press — newspapers
  19. press — a publisher
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. club — a group
  22. sharp — clever
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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