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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. file — a document
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lie — to recline
  10. wake — a trail
  11. file — a tool
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rule — a law
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a line
  21. rush — hurry
  22. cold — not warm
  23. rule — government
  24. lean — thin

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