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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: lash · rule · mine · track · pop · perch · foot · file

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. mine — for digging
  3. track — a song
  4. pop — music
  5. track — to keep track
  6. file — a line of people
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. track — a path
  13. rule — government
  14. foot — a measure
  15. rule — a law
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. pop — to visit
  18. perch — the fish
  19. pop — soda
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a document

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