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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. spell — a short time
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — letters
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. last — final
  11. fall — the season
  12. rush — hurry
  13. last — finally
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. file — a line of people
  17. fall — to drop
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. file — a document
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. last — to go on
  23. rush — a thrill
  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