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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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. mug — a face
  3. mug — to rob
  4. prune — to trim
  5. hand — in cards
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a song
  8. wind — moving air
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. face — to point toward
  11. mug — a cup
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a line of people
  14. hand — help
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. face — to confront
  17. lie — to recline
  18. prune — to trim
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. track — a path
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. wind — moving air
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. face — part of the head

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