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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. face — part of the head
  3. file — a document
  4. stand — to bear
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. net — for catching
  7. fall — to drop
  8. net — in sport
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. chair — a leader
  11. file — a line of people
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — to point toward
  14. fall — to drop
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. net — after costs
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. fall — the season
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. dip — to sink
  24. hide — to keep secret

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