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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. bore — to tire
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. cue — a hint
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. mine — for digging
  9. fall — to drop
  10. file — a tool
  11. ground — a position
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bore — to drill
  14. cue — a signal
  15. track — a song
  16. track — a path
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. ground — crushed
  19. file — a document
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. fall — the season
  22. cue — for pool
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. fall — to drop

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