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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: row · snap · face · file · mouse · firm · ruler · last

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. face — part of the head
  3. last — final
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. face — to confront
  7. firm — steady
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a tool
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. row — to paddle
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. face — to point toward
  16. snap — to click
  17. last — to go on
  18. firm — decided
  19. last — finally
  20. firm — a company
  21. row — a line
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. file — a line of people

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