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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  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 — animal skin
  2. suit — clothes
  3. ball — a great time
  4. file — a tool
  5. shower — to wash
  6. ball — a dance
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. file — a document
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cue — a hint
  11. suit — to fit
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. net — for catching
  14. suit — in cards
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. net — in sport
  20. cue — a signal
  21. shower — rain
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. net — after costs
  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