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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. face — to point toward
  3. dip — to sink
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rash — hasty
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. file — a document
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. cue — for pool
  11. rash — a series
  12. file — a line of people
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. face — part of the head
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. cue — a hint
  17. file — a tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cue — a signal
  20. saw — the tool
  21. face — to confront
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. 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