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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: last · chest · mine · rash · dip · mug · pound · file

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. last — finally
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. last — final
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. mug — a face
  10. rash — a series
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. file — a tool
  13. last — to go on
  14. file — a document
  15. mug — a cup
  16. file — a line of people
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. pound — a weight
  20. rash — hasty
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — to sink

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