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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. file — a line of people
  7. band — a ring
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — for sport
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. mine — for digging
  12. file — a tool
  13. ball — a dance
  14. content — the amount
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. field — a subject
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. ball — a great time
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. content — happy
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lash — an eyelash

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