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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. cap — a hat
  3. file — a document
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. court — of law
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mark — a trace
  9. file — a line of people
  10. mug — a face
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. court — for sport
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. mark — a grade
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. cap — of ice
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bark — to shout
  21. court — of a king
  22. mug — to rob
  23. fall — the season
  24. cap — a lid

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