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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 120 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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. last — final
  3. wind — moving air
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. last — to go on
  6. wind — moving air
  7. last — finally
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. current — happening now
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. current — electric
  14. file — a line of people
  15. current — of water
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. file — a document
  23. lie — to recline
  24. ruler — a monarch

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