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

Word bank: lie · fine · kid · foot · last · band · file · lash

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. foot — a measure
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. fine — high quality
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. last — final
  8. band — a music group
  9. fine — all right
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. band — a ring
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. file — a document
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. lie — to recline
  17. kid — to tease
  18. kid — child
  19. file — a tool
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. last — finally
  22. last — to go on
  23. file — a line of people
  24. foot — the bottom

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