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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 116 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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. rule — government
  5. rule — a law
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. file — a document
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fork — in a road
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a line of people
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. hide — to keep secret

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