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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 120 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. hand — help
  3. file — a tool
  4. object — to protest
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. object — an aim
  8. last — final
  9. chest — a box
  10. file — a document
  11. chest — of your body
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. last — finally
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. last — to go on
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. chest — of your body
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. object — a thing
  20. squash — to crush
  21. fork — in a road
  22. hand — in cards
  23. squash — the sport
  24. fork — to eat with

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