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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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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: toast · file · rock · wound · lie · pitch · lash · ground

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. toast — bread
  5. pitch — completely
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. rock — a stone
  8. lie — to recline
  9. file — a tool
  10. ground — crushed
  11. rock — music
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. ground — the earth
  16. wound — an injury
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. ground — a position
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. file — a line of people
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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