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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. spell — letters
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. file — a line of people
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. spell — a short time
  7. cap — a hat
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. file — a document
  11. cap — of ice
  12. swing — in golf
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. spell — magic
  15. file — a tool
  16. wake — a trail
  17. swing — to play on
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. swing — music
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. toast — bread

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