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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. rush — hurry
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. file — a tool
  6. mark — a trace
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. file — a line of people
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. kick — in football
  14. lie — to recline
  15. mark — a grade
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. land — to come down
  19. file — a document
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. land — a country
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. pound — a weight
  24. lie — an untruth

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