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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. file — a tool
  3. cap — of ice
  4. file — a document
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. last — final
  8. cap — a hat
  9. content — happy
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. wake — a trail
  14. cap — a lid
  15. last — to go on
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. mug — a face
  18. content — the amount
  19. file — a line of people
  20. mug — to rob
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. last — finally
  23. mug — a cup
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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