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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.

Make a worksheet

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: saw · file · sharp · season · bay · kid · fine · patient

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. kid — to tease
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. saw — the tool
  6. file — a tool
  7. file — a document
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — all right
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. file — a line of people
  20. kid — child
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. season — of the year

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