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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 120 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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — finally
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. rush — hurry
  6. face — to confront
  7. last — final
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. band — a music group
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. face — part of the head
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. file — a tool
  17. bore — to drill
  18. face — to point toward
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. band — a ring
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bore — to tire

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