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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. file — a document
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. net — for catching
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. saw — the tool
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fall — the season
  9. squash — to crush
  10. rule — government
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. net — after costs
  13. file — a tool
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. net — in sport
  17. squash — the sport
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. file — a line of people
  22. stock — shares
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. stock — goods

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