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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. wind — moving air
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. prune — to trim
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. squash — the sport
  8. prune — to trim
  9. file — a document
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. wind — moving air
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. rash — a series
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. rash — hasty
  18. file — a tool
  19. squash — to crush
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. file — a line of people
  22. lie — to recline
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. squash — the vegetable

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