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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 116 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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. net — in sport
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. perch — the fish
  5. file — a tool
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. fall — to drop
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. fall — to drop
  11. dip — to sink
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. fall — the season
  15. net — for catching
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. rash — hasty
  18. net — after costs
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. file — a line of people
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. rash — a series
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. rash — on the skin

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