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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 walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. mate — to breed
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. mate — a partner
  6. file — a document
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. file — a tool
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bass — the fish
  13. stand — to bear
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bass — low music
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bass — the instrument

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