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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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468
Word bank
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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. file — a document
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. staff — a stick
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. pass — a permit
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to click
  9. drill — a practice
  10. staff — employees
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. file — a line of people
  13. drill — the tool
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. staff — employees
  16. degree — temperature
  17. degree — an amount
  18. fork — in a road
  19. degree — from a university
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. file — a tool
  24. drill — army training

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