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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. file — a document
  3. dip — to sink
  4. wake — a trail
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. hand — help
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. hand — in cards
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. date — the fruit
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. lean — to bend
  18. mug — a cup
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. mug — a face
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a tool
  23. mug — to rob
  24. lean — to rest against

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