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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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. cap — of ice
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — thin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. file — a tool
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. cap — a lid
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — clever
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. cap — a hat
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. season — in sport
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. file — a line of people
  23. season — of the year
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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