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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: deal · chip · rest · wax · face · fork · sharp · file

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. file — a tool
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. rest — a break
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. sharp — clever
  8. file — a line of people
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — in a road
  14. file — a document
  15. rest — what's left
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. wax — to grow
  18. face — to confront
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — for betting
  21. face — part of the head
  22. rest — what's left
  23. face — to point toward
  24. wax — for sculpting

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