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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wind — moving air
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. pop — soda
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. mate — a friend
  10. chest — a box
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mate — to breed
  13. pop — to visit
  14. file — a line of people
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. chest — of your body
  17. file — a document
  18. lie — to recline
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. chest — of your body
  21. pop — music
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. mate — a partner
  24. sharp — clever

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