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

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. file — a line of people
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — part of the head
  5. season — of the year
  6. kid — child
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. file — a tool
  9. squash — to crush
  10. rock — a stone
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — the sport
  13. row — to paddle
  14. lean — to bend
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. file — a document
  18. kid — to tease
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. rock — music
  21. row — a line
  22. season — in sport
  23. face — to point toward
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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