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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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 document
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. mate — to breed
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mate — a partner
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bound — certain
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bound — obliged
  12. date — the fruit
  13. mate — a friend
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. hand — help
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bound — tied together
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. file — a tool
  23. last — final
  24. lie — to recline

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