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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a line of people
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. cap — of ice
  5. kid — child
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bear — the animal
  8. file — a document
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bear — the animal
  13. march — music
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. march — the month
  17. bass — low music
  18. cap — a hat
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. cap — a lid
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. kid — to tease
  24. march — the month

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