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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. rest — a break
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — a position
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. ground — the earth
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. bark — to shout
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. file — a document
  14. rest — what's left
  15. vault — a safe
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. file — a line of people
  18. vault — in gymnastics

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