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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. file — a line of people
  4. track — to keep track
  5. wound — an injury
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. press — to push
  8. wound — an injury
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. track — a song
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. press — newspapers
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. file — a document
  16. board — a committee
  17. file — a tool
  18. press — a publisher
  19. track — a path
  20. board — to get on
  21. march — the month
  22. lie — to recline
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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