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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. last — to go on
  4. band — a ring
  5. face — to point toward
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. file — a tool
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. last — final
  11. last — finally
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — to shout
  14. band — a music group
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. face — part of the head
  17. file — a line of people
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. deal — to handle
  24. face — to confront

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