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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. cold — an illness
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. game — wild animals
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bound — tied together
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. cold — not warm
  11. game — a match
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. plane — a tool
  16. file — a line of people
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. foot — a measure
  19. file — a tool
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. bound — certain
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bound — obliged
  24. plane — an aircraft

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