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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. file — a tool
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — to visit
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cold — not warm
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. file — a document
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cold — an illness
  13. row — a line
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. pop — soda
  20. row — to paddle
  21. file — a line of people
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. mark — a grade
  24. cold — the Cold War

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