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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a tool
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. file — a document
  6. squash — the sport
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. rash — a series
  9. deal — to handle
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. band — a music group
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. band — a ring
  22. sharp — clever
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. rash — hasty

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