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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
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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: can · file · rest · lash · lie · date · bore · cold

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. bore — to tire
  3. file — a document
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lie — to recline
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. file — a tool
  10. can — to be able to
  11. date — the fruit
  12. rest — what's left
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. rest — what's left
  16. can — a tin
  17. cold — an illness
  18. file — a line of people
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. can — a tin
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cold — not warm
  24. bore — to drill

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