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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: ruler · club · file · rash · wound · kid · roll · face

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. file — a tool
  3. kid — to tease
  4. file — a document
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. club — a group
  8. rash — hasty
  9. file — a line of people
  10. roll — a list
  11. face — to point toward
  12. club — for golf
  13. face — to confront
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. rash — a series
  17. wound — an injury
  18. face — part of the head
  19. club — for dancing
  20. roll — a cake
  21. kid — child
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. wound — an injury
  24. roll — on a roll

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