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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 120 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: cabinet · file · foot · kick · sharp · mine · hand · pass

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. pass — a permit
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. hand — in cards
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. hand — help
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. file — a line of people
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. sharp — clever
  18. foot — a measure
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. kick — in football
  21. file — a document
  22. mine — for digging
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. sharp — with an edge

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