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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. mine — for digging
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. pass — a permit
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. file — a line of people
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. season — in sport
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bark — to shout
  16. file — a document
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. season — of the year
  24. file — a tool

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