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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. fall — to drop
  3. file — a tool
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. file — a line of people
  6. cold — an illness
  7. chair — a leader
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. file — a document
  10. club — for golf
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. club — a group
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. fall — to drop
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. fall — the season
  19. cold — not warm
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. club — for dancing
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. chair — to sit on

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