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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. band — a music group
  3. file — a tool
  4. object — to protest
  5. cue — a signal
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. can — a tin
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. cue — for pool
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. can — to be able to
  13. last — to go on
  14. can — a tin
  15. cue — a hint
  16. last — final
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. band — a ring
  19. mine — for digging
  20. last — finally
  21. file — a document
  22. object — an aim
  23. file — a line of people
  24. object — a thing

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