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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. stand — to bear
  3. staff — employees
  4. row — to paddle
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — a partner
  7. hand — help
  8. last — finally
  9. file — a document
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. last — to go on
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — a line
  14. staff — employees
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. staff — a stick
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. last — final
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. file — a line of people
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. hand — in cards
  24. mate — to breed

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