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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. rest — a break
  3. cold — not warm
  4. rest — what's left
  5. file — a tool
  6. bulb — for light
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. file — a document
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. ground — a position
  12. spell — magic
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. ground — the earth
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. cold — an illness
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. ground — crushed
  19. bulb — for light
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — a short time
  23. rest — what's left
  24. hide — to keep secret

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