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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. tear — from crying
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. tear — from crying
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. drill — army training
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. tear — to rip
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. drill — the tool
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. drill — a practice
  21. file — a document
  22. pass — a permit
  23. file — a line of people
  24. arm — a part of something

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