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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 120 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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. file — a document
  6. tear — from crying
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. file — a line of people
  9. rule — a law
  10. rule — government
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. tear — to rip
  14. cap — a lid
  15. pit — in a race
  16. snap — to click
  17. cap — of ice
  18. rock — music
  19. file — a tool
  20. rock — a stone
  21. pit — a hole
  22. tear — from crying
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. rule — to rule out

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