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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — crushed
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bore — to tire
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. net — for catching
  12. pit — in a race
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. file — a tool
  16. net — in sport
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. file — a document
  20. bore — to drill
  21. ground — the earth
  22. net — after costs
  23. file — a line of people
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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