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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — a friend
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. stand — to bear
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hand — help
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. mark — a trace
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mate — to breed
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. file — a document
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a line of people
  24. hand — in cards

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