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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. file — a document
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. wound — an injury
  9. file — a line of people
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pit — in a race
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — a hole
  15. cold — an illness
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. file — a tool
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cold — not warm

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