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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. file — a line of people
  4. cell — a phone
  5. chest — a box
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. chest — of your body
  9. file — a document
  10. cell — in biology
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. mark — a trace
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. mark — a grade
  18. chest — of your body

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