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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. saw — the tool
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. bound — tied together
  6. scale — size or range
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cap — of ice
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. file — a tool
  11. bound — certain
  12. cap — a hat
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. scale — in music
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bound — obliged
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. file — a document
  21. cap — a lid
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. file — a line of people

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