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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: sharp · bark · bay · hand · arm · file · plane · mate

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a tool
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. mate — a partner
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bark — to shout
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. mate — to breed
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. mate — a friend
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. file — a document
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. plane — a tool
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. hand — help

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