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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 116 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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. bound — certain
  4. rock — music
  5. file — a document
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. dip — to sink
  9. snap — to click
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. last — finally
  12. file — a tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. bound — obliged
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bound — tied together
  21. last — final
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. rock — a stone
  24. file — a line of people

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