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

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. cold — not warm
  5. fine — all right
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. file — a document
  9. dip — to sink
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. fine — high quality
  12. mine — for digging
  13. file — a line of people
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — to get on
  17. file — a tool
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. board — a committee
  24. cold — the Cold War

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