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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 116 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 walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. snap — to click
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. last — to go on
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. fork — in a road
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. stand — to bear
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. file — a tool
  16. last — final
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. last — finally
  19. sharp — clever
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. chair — a leader
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. file — a document

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