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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — a position
  8. face — part of the head
  9. lean — to bend
  10. last — finally
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. sharp — clever
  13. file — a tool
  14. lean — thin
  15. face — to point toward
  16. wound — an injury
  17. last — final
  18. ground — the earth
  19. wound — an injury
  20. file — a document
  21. face — to confront
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. last — to go on

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