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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: file · pound · kid · lash · lie · mark · cell · staff

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. file — a line of people
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. cell — a phone
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. kid — child
  9. cell — in biology
  10. kid — to tease
  11. mark — a grade
  12. file — a tool
  13. staff — employees
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. staff — employees
  16. file — a document
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. pound — a weight
  22. staff — a stick
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. lash — to lash out

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