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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. can — a tin
  3. file — a tool
  4. cell — a phone
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rule — a law
  8. mate — a partner
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. can — to be able to
  11. cell — in biology
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rule — government
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. mate — a friend
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. mate — to breed
  20. file — a document
  21. can — a tin
  22. tear — from crying
  23. file — a line of people
  24. rush — a thrill

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