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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. file — a document
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. track — a song
  5. file — a line of people
  6. march — music
  7. face — to point toward
  8. march — the month
  9. face — to confront
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. file — a tool
  12. squash — the sport
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rock — a stone
  15. track — to keep track
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. march — the month
  18. squash — to crush
  19. face — part of the head
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. track — a path
  24. rock — music

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