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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rock — a stone
  4. face — to point toward
  5. tear — to rip
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. file — a tool
  9. rest — a break
  10. file — a document
  11. row — a line
  12. saw — the tool
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. face — to confront
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. face — part of the head
  22. tear — from crying
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — what's left

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