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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. face — to confront
  4. tear — from crying
  5. face — to point toward
  6. file — a tool
  7. chest — of your body
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. band — a music group
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — shares
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. toast — bread
  17. lean — to bend
  18. band — a ring
  19. chest — of your body
  20. face — part of the head
  21. chest — a box
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. lean — thin
  24. file — a document

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