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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — to tease
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. file — a line of people
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — the earth
  8. cue — for pool
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. file — a document
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. face — to point toward
  14. fall — the season
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to confront
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cue — a signal
  20. ground — crushed
  21. file — a tool
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. cue — a hint
  24. lash — to lash out

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