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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 124 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. face — to confront
  3. file — a document
  4. suit — in cards
  5. bat — the animal
  6. cue — a signal
  7. bound — certain
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. file — a line of people
  10. cue — a hint
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bound — tied together
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. cue — for pool
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. suit — to fit
  19. bound — obliged
  20. date — the fruit
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. face — part of the head
  23. suit — clothes
  24. file — a tool

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