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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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. craft — boats
  7. drill — army training
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. drill — a practice
  10. last — to go on
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. rule — a law
  16. file — a line of people
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. craft — a skill
  19. last — final
  20. rule — government
  21. drill — the tool
  22. last — finally
  23. file — a document
  24. bark — to shout

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