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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. face — to point toward
  3. current — happening now
  4. tear — to rip
  5. file — a line of people
  6. squash — to crush
  7. face — to confront
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. squash — the sport
  10. land — to come down
  11. lie — to recline
  12. tear — from crying
  13. land — ground
  14. current — of water
  15. wound — an injury
  16. file — a document
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. current — electric
  21. wound — an injury
  22. face — part of the head
  23. tear — from crying
  24. land — a country

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