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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. root — of a word
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. track — a path
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. file — a document
  7. track — a song
  8. ground — crushed
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. root — the cause
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. chest — a box
  13. ground — a position
  14. snap — to click
  15. chest — of your body
  16. mine — for digging
  17. ground — the earth
  18. chest — of your body
  19. track — to keep track
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. file — a tool
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. root — of a plant
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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