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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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. file — a line of people
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wind — moving air
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. rash — a series
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lie — to recline
  11. sharp — clever
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. mate — a partner
  15. wind — moving air
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. rash — hasty
  19. file — a document
  20. mate — to breed
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. mate — a friend
  24. file — a tool

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