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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. march — the month
  3. rest — what's left
  4. march — the month
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. lean — thin
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. file — a line of people
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. file — a document
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. rest — what's left
  15. file — a tool
  16. season — of the year
  17. rest — a break
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. date — the fruit
  20. march — music
  21. season — in sport
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — shares
  24. lean — to bend

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