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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. can — a tin
  3. file — a line of people
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. file — a document
  6. row — to paddle
  7. last — finally
  8. wind — moving air
  9. tear — to rip
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. wind — moving air
  12. can — a tin
  13. tear — from crying
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. tear — from crying
  16. can — to be able to
  17. lean — to bend
  18. vault — a safe
  19. last — to go on
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. last — final
  22. row — a line
  23. lean — thin
  24. file — a tool

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