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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. file — a line of people
  3. pass — a permit
  4. stem — to come from
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. object — a thing
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. object — an aim
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. capital — money
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. object — to protest
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. hand — in cards
  18. file — a tool
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. hand — help
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. capital — a city
  24. file — a document

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