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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. track — a path
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. rest — a break
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. squash — the sport
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. track — a song
  10. rock — a stone
  11. file — a tool
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wake — a trail
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. file — a line of people
  20. squash — to crush
  21. rock — music
  22. track — to keep track
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. file — a document

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