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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 ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. suit — clothes
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. suit — to fit
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. pound — a weight
  8. ground — a position
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. band — a music group
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. tube — the underground
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. suit — in cards
  15. wind — moving air
  16. band — a ring
  17. file — a tool
  18. tube — a container
  19. ground — crushed
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. file — a document
  22. ground — the earth
  23. wind — moving air
  24. tube — in a tire

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