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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pitcher · mate · kid · file · rule · wound · sharp · leaves

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. mate — a friend
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — to tease
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. file — a line of people
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. kid — child
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. rule — a law
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a partner
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. file — a tool
  20. sharp — clever
  21. wound — an injury
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. rule — government

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