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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 116 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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. file — a line of people
  5. land — ground
  6. ground — a position
  7. club — for dancing
  8. squash — the sport
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. land — to come down
  11. ground — the earth
  12. lie — to recline
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. club — a group
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bat — the animal
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. file — a tool
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. land — a country
  23. ground — crushed
  24. club — for golf

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