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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 felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bass — the fish
  4. toast — bread
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. face — part of the head
  7. file — a tool
  8. face — to confront
  9. bass — low music
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. row — a line
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. face — to point toward
  15. roll — a list
  16. roll — a cake
  17. row — to paddle
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. rest — a break
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a line of people

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