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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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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: dip · stand · bat · leaves · sharp · lash · file · game

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. file — a document
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. stand — to bear
  9. file — a tool
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. bat — the animal
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. game — wild animals
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. file — a line of people
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. game — a match
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. leaves — lets stay

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