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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 124 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. season — of the year
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. file — a tool
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. file — a line of people
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. net — for catching
  9. file — a document
  10. net — after costs
  11. season — in sport
  12. rule — a law
  13. dip — to sink
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — size or range
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. scale — in music
  19. net — in sport
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. rule — government
  24. dip — a sauce

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