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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 120 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: rash · last · file · face · swing · wound · lie · pop

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. swing — music
  3. last — to go on
  4. file — a tool
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — music
  10. face — part of the head
  11. pop — to visit
  12. file — a document
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. face — to point toward
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — a series
  18. file — a line of people
  19. wound — an injury
  20. face — to confront
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — to play on
  23. last — final
  24. last — finally

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